I Know You Too
by YoungFool
Summary: Takes place after Season 2. Zuko returns home after assuming the Avatar is dead and struggles to find his destiny. Basically a remake of Season 3 with new struggles and friendships. Ty Luko, Kataang, Maikka. CANCELLED.
1. Welcome Home

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER**

**Well, I waited a long time to finally write my first FanFic and here it is. I still have little idea where this is going to go but I hope you guys can help me out. **

Takes place directly after Season 2 of the original series.

_The Avatar is assumed to have been slain. Zuko, accompanied by Azula, returns home after betraying his uncle, who is locked away in a prison cell beneath the Royal Palace of the Fire Nation. Having restored his honor, Zuko knows nothing of where his life is headed, or whether or not his father, Fire Lord Ozai, will accept him. However, a certain girl opens up a side of Zuko he never knew existed, and steals a place in his heart. The Avatar's gang and some of Zuko's new companions are set out to end the war and save the world from turmoil. They wish to restore honor to the other Nations of the world and bring back peace and justice to all. This is their story and the legend of Avatar Aang._

**Chapter One: Welcome Home**

Several weeks had passed since the day Princess Azula of the Fire Nation struck down the Avatar in Ba Sing Se. The Lightning from her fingertips pierced the body of the young child who fell into the arms of his friend, Katara of the Water Tribes. Panic ensued and the evil princess smirked at her greatest accomplishment: slaying the world's hero, the one who was going to defeat the Fire Nation and restore peace to the world. The Dragon of the West, Iroh, protected the Avatar and Katara long enough for them to escape and make their way elsewhere. The Dai Li then captured the traitor and the Fire Nation siblings of royalty left the city. The Earth Kingdom had fallen and victory of the war was in sight.

Zuko lay in a bed of the Fire Nation ship he was traveling in on his way back home to the Fire Nation. His sister was not in sight. She was most likely planning war strategies to conquer the other remaining nations, he figured. Her friends, Mai, the always bored, emotionless assassin, and Ty Lee, the hyper-active and over cheery acrobat, were also in the same ship. The two of them were also not in sight.

Zuko thought about that day back in Ba Sing Se, where he had to make the hardest decision of his young life. He had to choose between staying with his uncle or regaining his honor. His uncle was the only person to stand by his side during his three years of banishment, a debt he could never repay. He didn't understand why, however. His uncle was always the caring kind and maybe, just maybe, he loved the scarred prince. _Not a chance, _Zuko thought, _he only stayed with me so I wouldn't be alone. He doesn't care for me._ His other option badly outweighed his first. If he had stayed with his uncle he would have gained one man's love but the hate of an entire nation. If he chose to return home he would have gained a nation's love and _one _man's hate. And easy decision, he figured. He refused to let the subject bother him anymore and turned in for the night after a long, hard day.

XXXXXXXXXX

The GAang was asleep on top of Appa, Aang's one hundred year old flying bison. There was no general direction they were headed but one thing was certain: stay away from the Fire Nation. Toph was holding herself close. She disliked not being on solid ground very much, mostly because it took away _her _way of seeing. It blinded her, a feeling she did not like. Sokka was lying flat on his back with his limbs spread out as far as possible. His belly moved up and down at a very relaxed pace. His obnoxiously loud snoring and sleep talk about meat were exactly what kept Katara awake. She was the only one of the group not in a slumber. Her body rested in a sitting position on top of Appa's large head. He let out loud groans of exhaustion every once in a while. He was becoming tired. Suddenly, Katara felt somebody's body stir against her own. She looked down at the peaceful face of the young Avatar resting in her lap. She smiled at him.

"Aang...are you awake?" she asked.

"…Where are we, Katara? What happened?" he asked in return, still feeling dizzy and tired. He felt the grip around his body tighten as Katara hugged him harder than he had ever been embraced before. She placed her forehead in the groove of the young boy's neck. He smiled in return and wrapped his arms around her as well. The burn mark of Azula's lightning strike on his back bothered him very little. After all, it had been a while since he was last conscious, not that he was aware.

"I like your hair" Katara said to him, giggling, much to his surprise.

"W-What…? I don't have hair" he said, shocked at her remark. He felt the top of his head and noticed that he did indeed have hair. "I can't believe it! You were right…How long was I out?"

"It was a few weeks. I was afraid you weren't going to wake up," she replied. The tears in the back of her eyes were starting to burn. She wanted to cry, but she wouldn't let herself. She was a strong girl now. "You had everyone so worried."

"Katara, sorry…I-"

"Don't be sorry. It wasn't your fault at all" she finished for him, trying to keep the boy from being disappointed in himself. "I know you wouldn't leave the world…_not me_." The last part was a whisper, not meant for the child to hear.

"…But what happened? Where are we going?"

"Azula struck you with her lightning and you fell, back at Ba Sing Se. Zuko's uncle helped us escape. Ba Sing Se was taken over and the Earth Kingdom fell…Everyone's here but we don't know where we are going" she finished up.

"I failed…the world…" he started after taking in all the information.

"No you didn't, Aang!" she interrupted. "I know you'll save us. Save _everyone_!"

"How can I?!? The Earth Kingdom fell and I don't know what to do!" he spat. "I'm just a boy. I can't take on an entire army alone!"

"You're not alone" Aang and Katara looked behind themselves to see Sokka trying to get comfortable on Appa's back. They had wakened him. "Now shut up. I guy can't go to sleep when you're blabbering."He lay back down, attempting to fall into his disturbed slumber again. Aang and Katara continued to stare at the water tribe warrior, wondering if he'd realized what happened. Then it hit him, shown by his jumping to the head of the flying beast. "BALDY'S AWAKE!!! Wait...can't use that one anymore" he said and hugged his adolescent friend.

Aang giggled, "It's nice to see you too buddy!" He returned the embrace and broke it after a few seconds. Toph had awoken as well and smiled at the recovery of the young Avatar.

"Well, well…Twinkeltoes. Welcome back" she said to him as she sat in the center of Appa's back. "Nice hair" she joked and laughed at him.

"Hey Toph! I'm glad to see everyone's okay!" he said joyfully. He bent down to meet Appa's eyes. "Hey there buddy! Are you glad to see me? I sure am to see you!" he said while rubbing the great beast's forehead. He was answered with a huge groan from his longtime friend, and everyone laughed. He returned to his friends and sat in the small circle they had formed on the beast's back. "Something's not right. I can't place my finger on it" he said, deep in thought. He was interrupted by MoMo landing atop his head. "That's it! MoMo!"

He grabbed the flying lemur off his head and hugged the furry little creature. Everything seemed right to the group for the first time in a few weeks. Smiles covered the faces of everyone.

Their family was whole again.

XXXXXXXXXX

Mai watched as her childhood friend attempted to show her a few new moves she taught herself. All she saw was Ty Lee repeating what she had showed Mai everyday for the last few days. _What have I gotten myself into?_ she thought. In all honesty she was not very impressed. She would rather be polishing her knives or trying to talk with her childhood crush, the Prince of the Fire Nation. However, she decided to leave him alone. She knew he wasn't feeling very well. After all, he had not come out to the deck of the ship even once during their three week trip back home. He wasn't ready for people just yet.

"Ty Lee, can I go now? I admit, you are very good at twisting your body into awkward positions and flipping several times in the air. I'm impressed" she attempted, trying anything to leave her friend alone.

"But wait, Mai!" the cheery girl pouted. "This is the best part!"

"I think I've seen enough. I am out of here" she said as she left her friend's quarters with strong, undeniable steps.

"Aww...Mai, you're no fun," the girl whined. "Wait, I have an idea! Why don't we play-"

"NO! I am going to my room. Do me a favor and don't come unless something urgent comes up" and with that she was gone, leaving her best friend to herself.

"Okay…bye" Ty Lee responded, the sadness in her voice very obvious and very fake.

"Don't try that. Bye."

Mai had gone through the narrow halls of the ship and returned to her own room. The room next to her own was that of Zuko. The two across the hall were Ty Lee's and Azula's. The workers slept in a big, crowded room at the bottom of the ship, next to the prison cell that held none other than the Dragon of the West.

Mai lay on her bed polishing her throwing knives with a fine cloth. She had plenty of them hidden in her clothes. One never knows when he/she will need them. Eventually, after she finished cleaning and saw the silver shine, she got out of her bed and looked out the hallway. She was going to see Zuko and she didn't need any of Azula or Ty Lee's crap about it. Seeing that the halls were clear she decided to make a run for it. Being an assassin, she could run as fast as she liked without making a single sound. Even the Zuko was her neighbor, his room was still at least twenty feet away, so she had to be quick.

She eventually reached the door of her childhood crush and peeped in it. "Zuko…" she whispered, not wanting to alarm the boy. No response. So she took it that he was asleep and walked to his bed. She looked down at the rough face of the prince. His crimson colored scar covered half of his face. She reached down to touch it, but Zuko suddenly stirred. She stopped, thinking of how uncomfortable the situation could become if he saw her. Luckily, he turned around and rested the scarred side of his face on the pillow.

She sighed, lucky not to have been seen. She continued to look at him. Although her crush was no longer the degree it was when they were younger, she still liked him. She thought about whether they could ever be together. The war was over and the children would most likely stay at home, with the exception of Ty Lee, who may return to the circus. She knew how much the place meant to her friend.

Mai looked at Zuko one last time and walked over to the opposite side of the bed so she could see his face clearly. She reached down and placed the smallest, softest of kisses on his cheek. She left the room with a small smile on her face and a blush on her cheeks.

XXXXXXXXXX

After Mai had walked away from her, Ty Lee decided to check on what Azula was up to. Skipping and humming, big smile on face, she approached the door of her longtime friend. She didn't need to knock; Azula wouldn't mind is it was her. And she would be in a good mood now that the war was basically over. So she tried.

"Hey Azula!"

"What do you want?" the girl questioned. She looked busy with something.

"Whatcha doing?" she replied, a little too interested. She walked up to behind Azula and looked down at the map. "OH! Are you planning on taking a vacation! Can I come?"

"No, Ty Lee. I am busy so I would appreciate if you left me alone" she answered. It was obvious that she tried to keep her cool, but she was aggravated about something. Sensing this, Ty Lee tried to push the subject, just to annoy her friend. She smirked.

"Okay then, I'll just stay here" she smiled._ It's funny when she gets mad _Ty Lee thought. She sat on Azula's desk and looked down at her, making the princess uncomfortable.

"Don't play games with me" she warned. She got up while Ty Lee got down. She loved being a princess of the strongest nation in the world. Everyone cowered in fear when she wanted them to. "You've five seconds to get your ass out of the door or I'll move it for you" she said, not showing any signs of any emotions.

The younger girl moved out the door but kept one foot in, giggling all the way. "ALL of you" the princess specified. "Five…four…three…two…ONE!" The girl did not move, giggling instead. Azula shot a bolt of lightning inches away from her friend's foot. The girl screamed and fell back.

"Geez, Azula…I was just messing around with you" the scared girl said. "But what are you doing?"

"Nothing. Now go annoy Mai." She ordered.

"But Mai left m-" she was cut off when the door was slammed in her face. She looked around and saw a few guards around her age walking up the flight of stairs. She smirked. She was going to have fun with them.

"Hey there, cutie!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Azula resumed her work. She had orders from her father to plan a quick and effective way to take command of the Water Tribes. The Air Nomads were dead and the Earth Kingdom had fallen. The peasant water tribesmen were the only ones left. She marked the map and sought a quick ambush strategy. This was going to be way too easy, she figured.

She heard a horn and felt the ship begin to slow. This was it. They were home. She wondered what would become of Zuko. "This should be interesting…" she whispered devilishly to herself.

**End Chapter One**

**Well this was fun to write. I know this chapter wasn't all that good and was somewhat boring but I promise it'll get better because this chapter was just to build up the story for what is yet to come. Seriously, you'll find it much better if you read on! =)**

**So, my first fic, was it good to start? Did I get the characters in character? Lemme know what you think!**

**Review please! You don't need to be logged in to do so!**


	2. Acceptance

**Thanks to the few of you that took the time to review. To you reviewing is just 30 seconds of your life but to me it means so much more. And I appreciate that. Just a note for the story: I will try to address the 3 canon ships (Kataang, Maiko, Sukka) because, well, they are canon. However, that doesn't mean they'll be the ships in this story. Anyway, here is Chapter Two.**

**Chapter Two: Acceptance**

The Fire Nation ship had long arrived at the docks of Fire Nation territory. As the royal Fire Nation siblings made their way out and to the palace they were cheered upon by a gigantic crowd of Fire Nation citizens. Peasants, noblemen, and every other kind of person. However, Fire Lord Ozai was not in sight. He waited in his throne room at the palace. Ozai's Angels made their way ahead of Zuko, who trailed far behind. The primary cheers for the girls were extremely loud. As the Fire Nation prince made his way to the palace he received much more appreciation than he had expected as well. Maybe things would be back to normal, he thought.

XXXXXXXXXX

Zuko appeared before his father, alone, but not afraid. He would be ready for everything his father had for him. Nervousness was not going to control him. He bowed respectfully and placed his forehead on the ground, not far from the base of his father's throne.

"Well…my son, you have returned home. You have been away for a long while and you surely have changed" he spoke, showing no emotions.

"Father, I am glad to have come home" he replied in a low voice, nearly a whisper.

"By slaying the Avatar, you have more than just regained you honor. You have earned the love of many" he said proudly, and much to his son's surprise.

_But…what? I didn't kill him. It was Azula. Why would she do that? Why for me…?_ he thought to himself. "It wasn't easy, father" he said bravely.

"I never would he thought you would, my child. Maybe your life has some use after all" Ozai replied. "With the Earth Kingdom fallen and the Avatar slain, victory is within sight for the Fire Nation!" he yelled proudly. "Many regards to Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, the strongest Nation in the world."

"You will rule the world, father" Zuko said with fake happiness and a faked smile on his face.

"Yes…I will" Ozai returned, a smirk on his face. "Every Nation in this world will live under my command and the Fire Nation will be unstoppable. Any wrong moves by the others and they will see their precious empires come to an end" he said, power-obsessed. In reality, this man sickened Zuko. His viciousness along with his evil heart made him despised by all, except for his near perfect daughter, Princess Azula. And that was only because she was the same way, Zuko learned.

"What about…" Zuko paused. He wished to ask about his uncle but he didn't want to let on that he cared for him. If Ozai learned about his, he would surely kill the prince. But more importantly to him, he didn't want to let his father hurt his beloved uncle.

"Feel free to ask me anything, my only son" his father clarified.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it father" he replied.

"As you wish. You shall attend a ceremony that will be held for you in a few days" his father said to him.

"What…? But I don't deserve it" he whispered, truly feeling he didn't deserve any celebration.

"Slaying the Avatar and not deserving a ceremony? My child, you deserve _more_! You saved the Fire Nation many soldiers by giving us a major advantage and a boost in his morale."

"Thank You, father" he whispered.

"You can go now" his father informed him.

He left after giving a final bow. He had much to think about.

XXXXXXXXXX

Zuko's first order of business was to find his sister and figure out why she had lied to their father just he would be accepted. He barged into his sister's room rudely and saw her lying in her bed. He didn't care much what she was doing because the situation was urgent. She didn't bother to look back at him.

"Why? Why would you do that?" he commanded.

"Of what do you speak, my dear brother?" she replied sinisterly.

"You told father that I killed that Avatar didn't you?"

"I may have" she answered calmly. "Can't this wait until later?"

"No! I need to know why you did it. So answer me!" he pressed.

"Well, you seemed so nervous about whether or not father would accept you. I figured that if I told him you killed the Avatar then he _would have to _accept you. Therefore, you would have nothing to worry about" she finished.

"You're planning something aren't you? There is no way someone as selfish as you would do this. You have an ulterior motive and I am going to figure out what it is."

"If you say so"

"Don't hide it!" he spat viciously.

"Say whatever you like…ZuZu" she teased.

"Don't call me that! Whatever you're up to, I'm going to make sure it fails."

"Whatever. Why must you think of me this way? Can't I get a thank you?" she replied in an evil tone, smirk on face.

He said nothing and with that he left the room, slamming the door behind him as he left.

"He's pathetic…" Azula whispered to herself.

XXXXXXXXXX

He was confused. He walked through the halls of the enormous palace of the Fire Nation. It had been three years since he was here. He remembered all the things he used to do in this place when he was younger. He would be forced to play games such as hide-and-go-seek with his sister and her friends. He remembered the various ponds in the garden. Very large gardens, he remembered. In those ponds were the turtle ducks he would feed everyday. He would go to them when he needed to be alone. He figured this would be the time to re-live those moments.

He left the back entrance of the palace with a piece of bread in his hands. He started towards the largest of the ponds that lit the bright green grass with a beautiful shade of cerulean. He could hear the turtle ducks quacking from a distance away. They must've been hungry, he figured. He eventually reached the small hill he would have to cross and stood at the top of it. He was surprised to see someone down there.

Ty Lee heard feet shuffling on the grass behind her and turned to see who her visitor was. "Hey, Zuko!" she greeted him with a big smile on her face. She looked relaxed. Maybe the turtle ducks helped more than just Zuko.

"Hey…so what are you doing here all by yourself?" he wondered, trying not to sound surprised.

"I can ask you the same thing, can't I?" she replied playfully.

"No, because you're here too" he informed her.

"Oh..." she giggled. "So what are you doing here?"

"You first" he demanded.

"I come here all the time. The turtle ducks are so cute and it's just so peaceful here" she said to him, her smile never fading.

"Same here" he replied bluntly. She was here for the same reason he was. He took a seat about ten feet from her and lied down on the grass. He broke tiny pieces of the bread and threw them into the pond. The small creatures swam quickly over to the bread to get a piece of it. When he was finished he rested his head on his hands and stared up at the sky. However, he quickly closed his eyes. A few minutes had passed and neither of the children spoke. Ty Lee was the first to break the peaceful silence the two were enjoying.

"So you finally came back home, Zuko" she started. "How long has it been?"

He waited a few seconds before answering her. "About three years"

"That was a long time"

"Yeah" he replied in a bored tone.

"What did you do? Where did you go? There must've been plenty of things to do in three years"

"I just tried to capture the Avatar, that's it" he said in a whisper.

"But you finally got him. Or rather, 'Zula did" she said. When he didn't say anything she went on. "Are you happy to be back now? Everyone missed you"

"It's good to be back. I can finally relax now. And who's everyone? Was I really missed?" he wanted to know. He was betting annoyed. He came here to be at peace.

"I meant Mai, your sister, and me" In all honesty Ty Lee did miss Zuko during his three year absence. She would laugh unstoppably every time the girls forced Zuko to wear a dress when he lost whatever game they played. It was fun to pick on him, especially when he and Mai were with each other. She thought they were really cute together. Azula and Ty Lee wouldn't let him hear the end of it. "Without you around we hardly played anymore. It wasn't as fun as when you were around"

Zuko nearly smiled. _They missed me_ he thought to himself. "It feels great hearing that" he said without showing any hints of emotion. "Did _you_ miss me?" he wondered. It didn't matter much to him but he was curious.

"Of course I did Zuko! Whenever one of your best friends leaves for three years you have to miss him" she said joyously. Her smile couldn't possibly get any bigger, Zuko thought. She was really open about how she felt about others, unlike himself. "Did _you_ miss me?" she teased him. She liked making Zuko uncomfortable. She giggled at his nervous face all the time.

"Umm…I don't know…Maybe. Yes. I mean no! Wait…I don't know" he tried. He didn't want to hurt her but he didn't want to show affection either. The two had sat up now.

"It's a yes or no question" she stated. She looked at him with an expression of curiosity.

Zuko came to the pond to relax. He didn't come for being put into uncomfortable situations.

"Well? Did you miss me or not?" she asked again.

"I'm not really sure…" he said. She still looked at him as if that answer wasn't enough. "Okay, fine…I did?" He wasn't completely sure. He was friends with the girl before his banishment but they weren't exactly best friends forever.

"Yay! ZuZu missed me!" she chirped and tackled her friend to the floor with a hug.

"Hey, I said don't call me that! And no hugs. 'Kay?" he told her. What bothered him more than anything was the name his sister had given him. Her face would come into his mind whenever he heard it. That's why he didn't like it. And because it sounded like something one would call a baby. And he really wasn't a big fan of showing affection. It just wasn't him.

"No way! You definitely need to be hugged more" she answered. Ty Lee eventually broke the embrace and stood up. "I have to go now, Zuko. See ya around!" she dismissed herself.

"Wait!" he called and the girl turned back to look at him. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about where…my uncle is…would you?" he questioned. His amber eyes pierced through her gray spheres. She couldn't escape him unless she gave him what he wanted.

She knew, of course. Fire Lord Ozai had told Azula right in front of Mai and herself. However, she couldn't tell him. She would put her own life at risk and threaten her friendship with the fire princess. "No…sorry, Zuko. I don't know" she answered untruthfully. She didn't want to lie to him but she had no choice. She looked away from him.

Zuko sensed that she was hiding something. She was nervous, her voice sounded uncertain, and she avoided his gaze. He knew that she knew. He would find out here and now. Zuko smirked. "Ty Lee, you suck at lying"

"W-What? I'm not lying…" she said in a choked voice and continued to stare at the ground.

"Then why do you sound like you aren't sure of what you're saying?"

"I know what I'm saying!" she retorted.

"Why aren't you looking me in the eye?" he questioned.

"That doesn't mean anything…really Zuko, I can't say I know"

"Wait…what can't you tell me?" he demanded.

"That I know where you uncle is. No! I mean-" she was cut off.

"I knew it! You do know where he is" he said. He tricked her into telling him. "Tell me"

"Zuko, I would, but I'm not supposed to. Azula told me not to tell you" she said truthfully.

"She won't know. I'm not going to ask you again. I have to know" he replied. In his eyes Ty Lee could see hurt. She could see the longing. He looked guilty about something. Then it was gone. It was there long enough for her to see but not anymore. She felt guilty herself. She knew the two may have been very close and she was keeping the two from seeing each other.

"Okay, I'll tell you. But you have to promise that you won't tell anyone I told you, ever!" she said sadly.

"Very well" was his reply.

"He is…" she paused. Her pity for the prince was greater than her fear of the princess. "He's locked in a cell in the lowest level of the palace.

"Thank you…Ty Lee" he responded. He felt better now. Things were starting to look up. He looked back to Ty Lee who was looking down at the ground beneath her feet. She looked somewhat scared, unsafe in a way. She was afraid of what Azula would do if she found out that she told Zuko.

"I'll make sure no one finds out. And if my sister does, I'll make sure she doesn't hurt you" he said, trying to make the girl feel safer.

She forced a smile and looked up at him, "Thanks, Zuko" And with that she left him standing alone by himself in the gardens. He had a lot of thinking to do. And to help himself with that he lay down in the grass and closed his eyes.

XXXXXXXXXX

The GAang had landed about an hour ago by an unidentified Earth Kingdom town. It was small, like a village, but many people resided in it. They group needed to restock on supplies and Aang had to figure things out about had happened in his absence. The first thing they needed to do was to change their clothes into Earth style clothing. The problem: they had no money.

"I'll go and see what they have in the shops!" Aang said excitedly.

"Wait! Aang you can't go. We have no money" Katara stopped him.

"Oh…well we can go _see_, right?" he said to her.

"Well…" she paused. She couldn't let Aang know that the world thought he was dead. If he started hopping all over the place, people would see his arrow and figure that the Avatar was indeed alive. And they couldn't allow that because the news would spread fast and the Fire Nation would be soon notified. With them knowing that, Aang would no longer be a secret weapon that could be used against the Fire Nation because they would be prepared for him. She wanted to tell him but she was afraid of his reaction. She decided she would tell him later. "Cover you head, okay?"

"Why?" the boy wondered.

"Because…it's a new style! Everyone covers their heads, like this!"she lied, gesturing to herself. She took one of Sokka's shirts and wrapped it around her head.

"Oh, cool!" he yelled in excitement as he wrapped his own shirt around his head. However, Katara's plan backfired as the arrow on his back showed.

"Wait…you also have to wear a shirt" Sokka added. "Take mine. I don't follow trends and fashions much"

"Thanks, buddy!" he responded. And with that he entered the village and ran through the streets, entering every shop he saw. Katara, Sokka, and Toph let out a sigh of relief.

"That was close" Sokka said.

"Yeah"

"No kidding"

The three children spent the rest of the afternoon doing small jobs for enough money to buy clothing. Toph had her clothes already. Aang and the water siblings needed some. Eventually they had the money and purchased whatever they needed. They had made more than enough money so they gathered some food as well. The group gathered back on top of Appa and the great beast flew into the night.

XXXXXXXXXX

Zuko lay in his bed waiting for the right time to head out. Everybody else was sure to be asleep by now. He put on a black cloak to cover his head and to help him camouflage into the darkness. There were no guards in the halls so Zuko picked up his pace. He reached a well of stairs and turned back to see if he had been spotted. What he saw a single guard walking through the halls. Zuko had avoided him without even knowing he was there. He let out a sigh. _Close one_.

He descended all the way to the absolute bottom of the building which was sure to be the prison room. The hallway leading to the cells were narrow. About thirty yards ahead of him he saw a guard sitting on a stool. He could see everything and no one would be able to get by him without being spotted. _Damn it!_ Luckily for Zuko, the guard was asleep because he had not stirred.

Zuko approached the guard and attempted to sneak by him. When he got past him he tripped over a line of cups that clanked loudly against the cold stone floor. He was sure the guard was now awake.

"Hey…Hey! Where do you think you're going!?" he yelled as he stood up, sword ready to strike. Zuko was quicker than the guard and got a grip on his wrist. He pulled the wrist up to the guard's throat and slammed him against the wall. He sent a vicious knee into the gut of the man who let out a groan of immense pain.

"No one is going to hear about this!" he whispered with more venom in his voice than a rat viper had in its body. "And if you knew what was best for you than you will sit here with your mouth shut!"

The guard didn't need to reply or be told again. He sat back down and gave the prince a vicious glare. Zuko made his way past the few cells in his sight and reached the last one. All of them were empty except this last one. Zuko saw a small, thick body curled under a blanket. It was surely his uncle. He was sitting up, meaning he had to be awake, much to Zuko's desire.

"Uncle!" he whispered. He didn't turn back to look at his nephew. "Hey, look at me!" Still nothing. "I had to. I didn't want to but I had to. I had no other choice. You should have come with me. I restored my own honor and if you didn't let that water tribe girl escape you may have restored your own also. It was your fault!" Iroh still did not look at him. He hadn't moved at all either. "Fine! Stay in there and rot till your death! I don't care!"

Zuko left his uncle and exited the prison hall. A single tear rolled down Iroh's eye. Zuko quietly strode back to his room as quickly as possible but keeping his stealth also. When he had got to his doorway he gasped.

"Hey ZuZu…where have you been to?" Azula said to him with an evil smirk on her face.

**End Chapter Two**

**Well, I love how this chapter came out. It was so fun to write. Here you get a Ty Luko moment and one with the GAang. Hope you liked it.**

**Lemme know what you think. Any suggestions, advice, anything? Feel free to send me anything.**

**Later!**


	3. Captured

**Once again, thanks to those of you who took some time to review and let me know what you think of the story so far. This is getting pretty fun to write and I hope it is pretty fun for you to read too. This chapter is a fun one, from tragedy, to epic twist, to fluffy sweetness. Anyway, here is the third chapter.**

**Chapter Three: Captured**

"What do you want, Azula?" Zuko's voice was cold. He wasn't happy to see her here.

"I already told you. Where were you?" she asked again.

"That doesn't concern you" he spat.

"You paid your uncle Fatso a visit, didn't you?" she said, the slightest bit of anger in her voice, but not enough to show her emotion.

"No! You're wrong. Now get out of my way" he responded, trying to enter his bedroom, pushing her aside.

"Oh, am I wrong? Then why are you wearing that?" she smirked, gesturing to the black cloak he was wearing. _Shit!_ the prince thought. _I forgot to take it off_!

He froze. He didn't know what to say. _How did she find out? Did Ty Lee tell her? No! What if she didn't get the information from Ty Lee? She's going to hurt her if she knows Ty Lee told me. No. Azula's not going to hurt anyone_, he thought, determination in his mind.

"That doesn't show anything. I have my reasons" he answered shortly, trying to keep his cool. "Now get out of my way!"

"Very well, dear brother, I shall leave you" she answered in fake sweetness.

"What were you doing here anyway?" he wondered.

"I thought I heard someone in the halls and your door was open. So I assumed it was you"

"So you waited there for however long I was gone?" he asked.

"Sure"

"And I'm pathetic" he replied sarcastically.

"Of course" she said as she turned.

He really did not like her. She had figured out. He promised Ty Lee he'd make sure Azula wouldn't hurt her. The thoughts of what his sister would do gave him much trouble as he tried to fall asleep. Eventually, he did.

XXXXXXXXXX

The GAang flew over many miles of landscape since they left the small Earth Kingdom town. Here they were again, flying aimlessly to an area they were strangers to completely. Sokka had tried to navigate the group using his map but no one knew where they should be headed. About a mile from where they were, the group saw black smoke rising from the ground high into the clean air.

"Hey guys, what do you think that is?" Aang asked his friends curiously.

"I'm not sure. It looks like…a town! It's on fire!" Sokka yelled as the settlement came into view.

"We have to help them!" Katara's maternal instincts kicked in. She spotted a thick river next to the town which she and Aang could use to put out the fire.

"Let's go!" Aang commanded. When Appa had gotten close to the town and onto the ground, the GAang slipped off of him.

"Sweet LAND!" Toph said joyously. Just before they got to the outskirts of the small settlement a young boy, no older than ten years of age, ran up to them, holding his right arm to the left side of his chest. He wore nothing but pants and very beaten shoes. He was crying and had a red scar on the left half of his chest. It was a burn mark and it looked fresh.

"Please! Help us! They came and they're trying to destroy our home!" he cried.

"Who came? What's going on?" Katara asked as she ran to the small boy. The rest of the GAang followed suit. She used the small amount of water in her pouch to tend to his wound. "I'm going to help you"

"The Fire Nation…they attacked" he winced as the cold water met his burnt skin. "We couldn't pay them enough and they…attacked…" he whispered as he closed his eyes. His breathing was shallow and he was losing consciousness. He fell into her arms, alarming the waterbender. His eyes fluttered shut, never to open again.

Panic struck the young waterbender. "He…just fainted. That's all" she tried to reassure the group, but mostly herself. Katara laid the boy on the ground and Toph cringed.

"His…pulse…it's gone" she said, sadness being detectable. The boy was dead. The group shared a shocked gasp. Aang became furious. His tears hit the floor and his arrows lit dimly, and then went back to normal. The Avatar state was almost reached.

"I've had it with the Fire Nation! I'm going to destroy them!" he cried, his rage getting the best of his mind.

"Aang, wait. There's nothing much we can do" Sokka said, attempting to calm the boy down.

"Yes there is!" his sister snapped, much to his surprise. "We have to go without Aang"

"Why!?" Aang yelled at her.

"Why do you think!? We can't let the world know you're back yet! They think you're _dead_!" Katara screamed back. She quickly became deathly silent and covered her mouth with her hands. They words had slipped out of her mouth. She didn't mean to say them. The young boy gasped. He looked hurt, betrayed. He fell to the floor and took a seated position. The anger showing on his face turned into a saddened expression.

"Why…didn't you tell me, Katara?" his voice was low. He made sure not to show his disappointment.

"I didn't want to see you hurt. I can't stand it" she replied sadly. She went to the boy and wrapped an arm around him.

"We have to save them" he said, the news distracting his mind. He wanted to drop this and do his duties. He returned her embrace and stood up.

"But you can't use airbending. We have to waterbend the river" she said matter-of-factly.

The GAang ran into the city, leaving just Appa and MoMo to themselves. They had a mission and they where determined to accomplish it. When they had gotten inside they gasped at the sight before them. Homes burnt and destroyed. Tattered men and women lying in the blood-filled streets. Children running around, screaming. The sky a nasty shade of black from the massive amounts of smoke. The group of friends just stared. They looked at each other with a loss of words.

"I…what happened? What have they done? These people…they've destroyed them!" Katara said, screaming the last of what she said. Tears ran down her eyes and covered her rage-resembling face.

"Hey! You four! Give us your money!" an unexpected and unidentified voice rang behind the group. They turned to see a group of three heavily armored Fire Nation soldiers. When the GAang didn't move they formed a triangle around them.

"YOU DID THIS!?" Katara screamed as she waterbended the nearby river. She formed a thick water whip and sent it at the soldiers. It sent them flying and their screams filled the deathly silent night air.

"You're gonna pay! Get some more backup" one of the soldiers instructed another who quickly ran off to carry out the order. The remaining two soldiers weren't newbies. They were skilled warriors who excelled in the art of firebending.

"Katara, go with Toph and take care of these two. I'll go with Sokka to help the other parts of this place" Aang commanded.

"Be careful" she told him.

"Go, go!"

Aang and Sokka started towards the center of the town. However, they were unaware of the troubles that lay ahead. Sokka's loud intakes of breaths, along with Aang's, were the only noises around. When they had gotten far enough, they saw something greater than they had ever faced before. There had to be at least seventy five Fire Nation soldiers in the area with about fifteen of them wielding weaponry. They were rampaging and destroying everything in sight. The cries of poor Earth Kingdom peasants filled the air.

"Remember Aang, no airbending. We can't let the world know you're still alive. You are the secret weapon to winning this war" Sokka informed him carefully.

"Okay. But what if waterbending isn't enough? What if I have no choice?" Aang replied, a lack of confidence in his voice.

"Hey…I trust you" Sokka gave him a knowing smile. "You'll be fine" The two listened to the conversation between the leader of the Fire Nation squad and the leader of the town, inching closer as they did.

"You will give me everything you own and then will I spare your life!" the armored soldier demanded. "This is absurd and-OW!" Loud gasps filled the air. Sokka's boomerang hit the tall, muscular soldier's head just like he planned. He smiled at the bull's-eye. Had the helmet not been there, the soldier could have been killed.

"How about you stinky, firebending babies leave them alone!" he shot at them.

"What!? How dare you!? Cease them!!" he ordered viciously, rubbing his head where the boomerang had connected.

Aang sent splashes of water at the quickly approaching soldiers who were easily swept away. He pulled as much water as he could from the river that flowed twenty feet behind him. This was the town's only supply of water: a river flowing through the center of their settlement. Sokka took on a soldier at a time with his sword, an art he had confidence in, but could use much more training in. The battle raged on in a similar manner for another ten minutes or so, until the Fire Nation force had been cut in half.

"What are you doing!? Grab them or I'll have your heads!" the commander spat, frustration showing in his voice. He sent jets of searing hot flames at Aang who easily put forth a wall of water to negate the attack. Sokka, however, was struggling. He was surrounded by five soldiers who were far more skilled with swords than he was. Even worse, he couldn't bend. They closed in on him and grabbed his arms. Another soldier dropped down to hold his leg. He groaned.

"Aang, help me out here!" he called in desperation. With his free leg he sent a vicious kick to the face of the soldier who gripped his opposite leg. The soldier let out a scream of immense pain, and held his now broken nose. In return for his actions, Sokka's face met a good three slugs from the other soldiers. Blood escaped from three deep cuts on his lips. He couldn't utter a word.

Aang looked to his friend and saw him being held, rendered useless in this battle. He would have wished to help him but he couldn't. He was in his own problematic battle and couldn't escape due to him being surrounded on all sides. The other soldiers gained on him and sent blast after blast at the young boy. He attempted to put himself in a sphere of water which provided some help, but not enough. He had to buy time. He didn't know what to do. He was stuck with no way out. The only way to save himself was with airbending but he couldn't do that. He was running out of options.

Meanwhile, Katara and Toph had quickly disposed of the two Fire Nation soldiers and headed off in the direction of their friends.

"Where do you think they've gone? Will they be okay?" Katara wondered aloud.

"They'll be fine" Toph replied. "He is only the _Avatar_"

In an effort to gain more ground at a faster pace, Katara used a sheet of ice to ride the river and Toph rode on a broad rock which she moved by bending the dirt beneath her feet.

Back at the battle scene of the Avatar and the soldiers of the Fire Nation, Aang had to make a decision quickly. Sokka was in trouble and he was too. He had to airbend to get out of this mess alive. And so he did. A massive bubble of wind blew the soldiers surrounding the Avatar away. He blew his cover and the key to winning the hundred year war. He had a look of fierce rage in his eyes. He sent more waves at his attackers, their fear building to monumental stages. His waterbending was much better now than it had ever been before. Near death experiences really do bring out the best in someone.

"What…No-it's the Avatar! He's alive! He's airbending!" cried the leader of Fire Nation force. "Grab the peasant!"

The men who possessed Sokka did as they were told and carried Sokka into a nearby war balloon. He flailed and kicked, letting out his frustrations in what seemed to be words. They stuffed his mouth with bits of torn clothing, so his cries wouldn't be heard.

"Mmmmn…mmmeppp mmmeee….!" Sokka tried to call for help, but to no success. They beat the young water tribe warrior senseless, sending closed fists across his face and powerful kicks to his abdomen. He resorted to screaming and shed tears of indescribable pain. Within seconds he drifted into a state of unconsciousness. The war balloon took off and flew into the air. Aang was distracted and didn't see that Sokka had been taken, seeing just a balloon in the air.

"You better run! You're gonna be punished!" he threatened, sending more blasts at his foe.

"Whatever you say, arrow face" the leader said. The Avatar had no idea his friend was in trouble, and even better, the retreating soldiers knew he was still alive. The news would reach the Fire Nation palace soon. He smirked at the treatment he would receive from the Fire Lord. He sent blasts of orange flames at the boy, causing beads of sweat to drop from his forehead. However, the Avatar knew how to win battles. With a strong gust of wind, the leader was smashed into the side of a cliff and knocked unconscious, a gaping cut on the back of his head. He would be out for a while.

"Sokka! Where are you?" Aang called with nervousness in his voice. No answer. "Sokka! SOKKA!!" He walked around slowly, looking for any hint of his good friend.

"There you are, Aang!" he heard a voice behind him. "You're okay!" Katara hugged him.

"Where's Snoozles?" Toph asked, not being able to detect her friend. "He isn't here"

"What are you talking about, Toph?" Katara replied. After looking around and not being able to spot her beloved brother, she panicked. "Aang, where is my brother!?"

"I don't know, Katara. I couldn't find him" the boy said and looked at the ground beneath his feet with an expression of sadness in his voice. He didn't like to cause Katara pain.

Katara was scared. She had already lost her mother to the Fire Nation and her father wasn't with them anymore. Sokka was all she had left. She couldn't imagine losing him. A single tear rolled down her cheek. "We have to find him. No matter what!"

Aang was deep in thought. _Where could he have disappeared to? Where are you, Sokka?_ "Wait! I think I know! Some of the soldiers were escaping in a war balloon! What if he was in there!?"

Katara looked around and scanned the skies immediately. She saw nothing in the air besides the beautifully lit, orange sky. The sun was beginning to set. They couldn't waste anymore time.

"I've taken care of the flames. These people are safe now. I badly want to…help…but Sokka…" she covered her eyes and sobbed quietly. Aang went to comfort her, putting an arm around her shoulder.

"He'll be okay" he tried. "Let's go on Appa!"

"I hope he's okay…" Toph tried.

"He'd better be!" Katara returned. The world had suddenly turned against her were the thoughts in her head.

XXXXXXXXXX

The next day at the Royal Palace had arrived with the morning quickly passing. Zuko had eaten breakfast with his sister and her friends. The Fire Lord was also there. However, that hour had passed quickly with no one saying a single word. There was much going on.

Zuko had retreated into his room to practice his breathing techniques with mediation. He stayed in his seated position for at least an hour. He had entered a world in his mind, not being able to detect anything happening in the real world. He was spiritually at peace with himself, a feeling of relaxation he hadn't felt for the better of three years. Unfortunately for the prince, he didn't hear his door peep open or the girl who had done so. She tip-toed over and took a position sitting in front of the boy and stared at him. She didn't mind doing so because she had always thought he was physically attractive. Another ten minutes had passed and neither of the two had moved. The girl was becoming quite bored and couldn't sit still for another second. She sighed.

"HEY, ZUKO!!" she squealed.

"W-What!? Ty Lee! What are you doing here? Can't you see I'm busy!?" he yelled, clearly annoyed. Mai, who was walking through the halls, heard Zuko and Ty Lee yelling. In the same room. She became suspicious, but quickly dropped the matter. She didn't need anything disturbing her peace. She would find out later what was going on. She went to her room.

"Geez, there's no need to be so mean, Zu_Zu_" she teased.

"I said don't call me that!" he returned. "And I'll act whatever way I please!"

"There's also no reason to be so grumpy" she returned, smiling all the way.

"Whatever. What do you want?" he wondered, regaining his cool. _Could she be any more annoying?_

"I was just wondering if you wanted to do anything. You know, instead of sitting around for hours and falling asleep"

"I wasn't asleep! And just so you know, I don't like being disturbed when I'm _meditating_. Anyway, what did you have in mind?" he corrected her.

"Sure thing, ZuZu. I was thinking, maybe you and me could, well…" she paused, a blush creeping on her face. "…get out of the palace and look around the city together?"

"Go ask Mai. I'm busy" he replied in monotone. He took his position as he had before and returned to his activity.

"Oh, come on, Zuko!" Ty Lee pouted. She tugged at his sleeve, "Please. It'll be lots of fun"

"I don't feel like it, Ty Lee. Now, please. Leave. Me. Alone" he said.

"Zuko…I was just thinking that since we hadn't seen each other in so long that maybe we could hang out and catch up" she said, making sure the sadness in her voice was obvious. She knew Zuko well enough to know that he disliked feeling guilty. Maybe she would get to him.

"…" he opened his eyes to see a frown on the usually cheery girl's face. "Can't this wait until later? I'll go with you tomorrow" he said, regretting his words as quickly as they had come out. However, he didn't like seeing Ty Lee upset, especially if he was the cause. It just wasn't her nature. He would've expected an ear-to-ear grin and maybe a hug, from his response, but got neither.

"But, you have your return ceremony tomorrow. That's what Azula said anyway" she informed him, much to his surprise. "There'll be no time"

His eyes shot open. _I forgot about that_. He was stuck. He wanted to finish meditating but had to spend the day with Ty Lee. "Fine... I'll go…" he frowned.

"Yay! Thanks, Zuko!" she cheered. She used her fingers to push Zuko's lips up into a smile. "And smile a little too. You look better when you do!"

"Stop that" he said, pushing her hands away from his face. "So…shouldn't you go put on something decent or whatever girls do?"

"Oh yeah... I'll come back here when I'm ready!"

It was going to be a long day. He had quickly put on a change of clothes and fixed his hair. He wore a loose fitting, crimson red shirt with a darker shade of red outlining the shape of a dragon. On his legs, he fitted black pants and topped it off with a pair of black shoes. A true gentleman, some women would think. He lay on his bed for what seemed like ages, waiting for Ty Lee to show up. _Where the hell is she_!?

"Okay, I'm ready!" she finally beamed.

"What took you so long!? Why do girls act like this?" he said in a confused and displeased manner.

She giggled, "ZuZu, we don't take too long. Boys just don't take _enough_ time. And look at you! You look so _handsome_" she teased. She herself wore a deep red shirt that covered her entire torso as opposed to her usual show-y choice of clothing. The outlines of the shirt were a standout shade of pink. She wore a fancy, crimson colored skirt that went slightly below her knees and her usual choice of footwear.

"…Thanks?" he blushed. He knew he was blushing so he turned his face away from her.

"Hey! You're totally blushing!" she ran to him and turned him around. He tried to fight that gesture. "C'mon ZuZu, lemme see. You look so cute when you blush" she chirped and pinched his cheek.

"Cut it out!" he yelled. _Damn…she's way too hyper-active_.

"So…how do I look?" she wondered, posing in a way that showed her figure very well. Her shirt fit tightly to her skin and her skirt hung loosely off her waist.

"…" he looked away. "Fine" he finally said, another blush creeping in on his face.

"Okay, let's go then!"

Zuko sighed.

When they had gone through the halls to leave the palace, they passed Mai's room. She had her door open and saw her two friends dressed for something. Mai quickly figured they were going out and spending the day together. She tried not to let it bother her, but she felt a little jealous over the situation. She wanted to be in Ty Lee's position. She just sat and stared at the wall they had just passed.

Eventually they had reached the humungous lobby of the palace near the front entrance and nearly made their way out. Ty Lee's soft humming and skipping were interrupted by a sudden grasp on her arm. She looked up. "What is it Zuko?"

"Let's go the other way" he said a little too quickly. _What is SHE doing out here?_ Zuko thought, looking at his evil sister standing in the doorway of the palace about twenty yards away. She seemed to be thinking about something and looked at the public from the door. She didn't notice her brother and her friend yet. Zuko couldn't be spotted. She wouldn't let him have the end of it, especially with the new jokes and names she would say to him. Things like _Circus Geek_.

"Oh, don't worry ZuZu, Azula won't say anything" Ty Lee tried to make Zuko more comfortable. She knew Zuko wanted to hide from Azula so she would try to embarrass him in front of her. She grabbed his hand and pulled him along.

"Hey…you're grabbing my hand... and stop! Where're you going!?" he complained.

He couldn't do anything. Azula had seen them and Zuko swore he saw her smirk. He looked the other way. So this is what hell felt like, he thought. Ty Lee just stood there with a big smile.

"Well…what have we here?" Azula said mockingly.

"Me and ZuZu are gonna head out and spend the day together" Ty Lee beamed. Zuko became very uncomfortable. _TY LEE NOOO!!!!!!!! You crazy freak!_

Azula laughed. Not a nice or evil laugh, but a plain laugh with nothing behind it. "How cute…" she said disgustedly. "My brother taking my best friend on a _date_?"

"It's _not_ a date!!!" he raised his voice to prove his point.

"Then what is it, ZuZu?" she asked. "Ty Lee doesn't seem to mind the word"

He scowled at her. "Zuko, c'mon, don't let Azula get to you. You get way too upset way too easily" Ty Lee told him. He looked down at her to see her smiling up at him. Their eyes were locked into each other's for at least five seconds without anyone saying a word. Amber colored spheres met gray ones. Azula knew what was going on, but wasn't disturbed by the thought much. _Ty Lee, can you really do this to Mai?_ She smirked.

"Whatever…let's just go" Zuko finally said, defeated.

The two left the palace. Neither of them knew that this would be the night that would change their relationship forever.

**End Chapter Three**

**Awww! Isn't that so sweet! ZuZu taking Ty Lee on a date.**

**That Azula's a bitch isn't she? ******

**That was so much fun! I hope you guys liked it! **

**Just so you are aware, the next few chapters aren't gonna be GAang heavy like the first three. I wanna focus on the fluffy cuteness that is Ty Luko.**

**Lemme know what you think! Reviews are welcome and appreciated.**

**Later!**


	4. A Special Day 1 of 2

**Once again, thanks to those of you who left me your thoughts. It's too bad that most of you are unsigned users so I can't thank you personally. Anyway, this should be a fun one for those of you who like Ty Luko. They do a bunch of things together; some boring, some fun. It's basically all fluff. Whatever; here is chapter four.**

**Chapter Four: A Special Day (1 of 2)**

Ty Lee led the way, a few feet in front of Zuko. Neither of them knew where they were headed, but they knew they would be together for the next few hours or so. It had been just minutes since they left the palace, the great construct still in sight. The rays of the sun bounced off of the roof of the enormous building. They also made it a burden for the two to travel, the heat being near unbearable.

"Where do you wanna go, Zuko?" Ty Lee looked back at Zuko with a smile on her face. She was excited to spend the day with her long time friend and catch up with what he'd been up to.

"…You dragged me along…you decide" he muttered, wiping the sweat off of his face with the back of his hand.

"I can't decide. You pick" she said.

"Okay, I will. I wanna go home" he said to her bluntly. She frowned.

"Really…? You need to learn how to enjoy yourself" she said in a serious tone, pointing her finger at his face, an inch away from his nose. She had looked forward to spending the day with the boy, but unfortunately for her, the feelings weren't mutual.

"It's way too hot…" he complained. It really was. He wanted to go into some area that would provide shelter from the suns punishing rays. The two had continued walking until they had gotten about a mile from their starting point. Neither had said much during the time other than Ty Lee blabbering about nonsense that Zuko pretty much ignored.

"Hey, there's a place we can check out!" Ty Lee said excitedly, pointing at the wealthy looking settlement in front of them, just over the hills. She ran forward, leaving Zuko standing alone, confusion in his head.

"How can you still run with all this heat?" he thought aloud, mostly to himself. He ran to catch up with her despite it being a self inflicted punishment.

"C'mon, ZuZu, it's not that bad" she replied. She turned around, grabbed his wrist, and pulled him along. "Hurry up, slow-poke!"

They had entered the city and looked around. Well constructed buildings covered the area. Fountains that shot water up were beautifully constructed, placed along the edges of the path. The path was wide, made completely of rock, and was trampled upon by hundreds of Fire Nation citizens each day. The city was certainly a sight to see. Much to the acrobat's pleasure, there were circuses and shops scattered all over the place. This was going to be a great day for her, she thought.

"Isn't this place beautiful?" Ty Lee asked her companion, awed by the highly advanced building skills of her fellow Fire Nation citizens.

"No…there's nothing so special about it…" Zuko replied in a bored tone.

"You don't really think that, do you?" she wondered, knitting her brows in confusion and uncertainty. "Whatever. Let's go look around this place. It's so big!"

"Fine" was his only reply. He closed his eyes and followed Ty Lee around. Ty Lee happily looked around the great city and took in every detail with much pleasure. As she walked, Zuko following closely behind, she spotted a gathering of people in the center of the settlement. The most beautiful thing she had ever seen shot up high into the air, a giant stone fountain that shot up water from the top and flames from the perimeter of its base. Even Zuko acknowledged the massive creation with respect and pride. Fire Nation people really were the best of people, he thought.

Ty Lee and Zuko squeezed past various groups of people until they got close enough to hear what the commotion was about. "There's a festival tonight to celebrate the slaying of the Avatar by Prince Zuko! He may not be here today but who says that's a reason to stop partying!" Ty Lee was told by a very excited young man.

Ty Lee looked at Zuko with a joyful look on her face and saw Zuko wearing a surprised one of his own. "They totally love you, ZuZu!" she said to him, making sure no one would hear that their beloved prince was right in front of them. Zuko did nothing but put on a smile and look down. He was happy that he was finally appreciated and loved; he really had restored his honor. However, it was fake. None of it was true. He didn't kill the Avatar, his sister did. But nobody needed to know that just now.

"I'm glad they do" he replied, showing neither his happiness nor his disappointment. The festival wasn't set to start for at least another five or so hours. Zuko figured it would start when the sun began setting because the shows of firebending mastery were best in the dark.

"So, we're gonna go, right?" Ty Lee pleaded. "I know it's gonna take a while but we can spend the _whole_ day together! It'll be so much fun!" she chirped. Zuko just hoped that the hours would fly by until it was time for the festival to start.

Walking aimlessly, taking in the scene of their whereabouts, Zuko and Ty Lee grew tired and bored rather quickly. They walked past various types of shops, stands of food, and anything else a wealthy city could contain. Eventually the heat caught up to the two and they sat down at a bench.

"Hey, Zuko?" Ty Lee spoke finally.

"What is it?" Zuko replied, not looking at the girl, keeping his gaze fixed ahead of him instead.

"What do you wanna do now?"

"I already told you…you decide. But no stupid things" he said blankly.

"Well…I know!" Ty Lee paused, seeing and recognizing an enormous red and white tent as nothing other than a circus. She pointed at it. "Why don't we go to the circus!?"

"No. I hate it" he said emotionlessly. Ty Lee frowned and stared at him for several silent seconds, not believing that a person could hate a place such as the circus. She loved it.

"So…why do you hate the circus?" she asked slowly.

"Because it's stupid"

"It's not stupid!" she shot back, determined to change the boy's mind.

"Of course. Next you're going to tell me that airbenders still exist" he said sarcastically.

"Since when did you try to joke?" she giggled but stopped when she received a glare from her friend. "Anyways, you know, I used to work at the circus?"

"Yeah? Doesn't surprise me" he said casually.

"Really? Why not?"

"Because you do flips and stuff…and make weird body positions. Like, is your spine made of rubber or something?" he asked seriously, looking the girl in the eyes.

"No, silly" she laughed cutely. "I just practice a lot"

"Right…so aren't you gonna tell me why you worked at the circus or something?" The two of them were alone now with nothing but deserted streets in sight.

"Okay" she started but stopped. The circus life she had was a very important part of her life, helping her to become the unique girl she was today. It saddened her to talk about how she was forced to run away from home and joined the circus, from where she was forced out by Azula. She looked down and said nothing for a while. Zuko opened his eyes and looked at her with his good eye.

"Well…? What's wrong?" he said with as much concern as two friends showed each other.

"I'm fine…Okay so when I was a kid, I ran away from home and joined the circus. I was so happy there and my aura was pinker than it was ever before. It was my calling" she stopped.

"So why'd you leave?" Zuko asked her, interested in what she had to say.

"Well…one day Azula came by and asked me if I would come help her find you, your uncle, and the Avatar. I refused her offer at first," she stopped, not wanting to tell Zuko _why_ she had left; Azula. "But then I decided to join her"

Zuko thought about what she said and processed the newly gained information into his head. However, something was missing. It didn't seem like she would just leave the life she loved for Azula's sake. "Something's missing…"

Ty Lee was caught off guard by his ability to quickly pick up the truth that something was indeed missing. Something big. "W-What makes you say that?" she said slowly, avoiding his gaze.

"You said it was your calling but you left just to help my bitchy sister" he said carefully. "Tell me that seems right and you'll be lying"

Ty Lee trusted Zuko. She wanted to tell him about Azula but she didn't want to strain her friendship with the princess. It would be hell for her if Azula found out how Ty Lee felt about the subject. "Okay, I'll tell you. Azula…came to one of my shows" she paused, tears building in the back of her eyes. "And she threatened my life while I was performing…she…forced me out of there…" Ty Lee let a few tears roll down her cheeks. She didn't bother to wipe them away. All she wanted was to stop the ache in her heart. "Why…would she almost kill me…? We're friends…"

Zuko didn't know what to do. He had never been put into this situation before. He knew that the right thing to do was to comfort her but that was a side of him he avoided. Only his uncle helped him when he was banished. He'd never been given care and thus could not give. But something was different about the girl at his side. Zuko looked to her broken, pitiful from and slowly and softly placed a hand on her small shoulder. "I'm…sorry. I had no idea" he whispered.

In response to his comforting gesture, Ty Lee wrapped her arms around the boy's upper body and held him tightly. Normally he avoided such body contact but Ty Lee needed it. And as her friend, he wouldn't take it away. His heart burned with a new rage at his sister and found a soft spot in Ty Lee. He was willing to accept her if she was willing to accept him.

"You'll always be my friend…right, Zuko?" she whispered to him in a pleading tone, her arms still around his body.

Zuko smiled down to her and met her eyes, "Of course" All the girl did was squeeze him tighter and smile back with her now tear free face. He put his arm around her shoulders and hugged her back. He didn't mind, she opened up to him. Ty Lee wanted the same out of her friend.

Zuko thought back into his life's many unforgettable events and dug into his past for events that shaped him into the man he was today.

:::::::::: Flashback ::::::::::

_Zuko was on his knees, crouching before his father who towered over his own puny form._

"_Never step foot into this land again!" Fire Lord Ozai roared._

"_I'm sorry Father! Please…don't hurt me!" the young prince cried, tears covering his face._

"_You have disgraced your own name and that of the Fire Nation! Never before have I seen you as pathetic as you are now!" _

"_I'm sorry Father! I didn't mean to!"_

"_You still speak! I should destroy you!" the great tyrant yelled as he sent forth a great, searing orange flame at the face of his disgraced son. The young boy's tears were vaporized by the ember's heat but his cries were heard from far away._

_Azula stood at the edge of the platform where her father and brother stood. Behind her were the generals and noblemen who attended the war meeting on that pitiful day. They dared not say anything but they felt destroyed inside at the cruelty of their no longer beloved lord. To Azula's left was Mai, who covered her mouth at the sight in front of her. To her right, Ty Lee was crying, begging Azula to ask her father to stop. Azula herself simply smirked. She was delighted. _

_Zuko lay helpless and unconscious on the floor, a burning red scar forming over his left eye. This was the day he found out that in order to lift his banishment, he needed to slay the Avatar. This was the day he had last seen his mother who tried to protect him, however, being held back by powerful generals restricted her. And finally, this was the day that he would become a new man by embarking on a journey to learn about himself and who he is._

:::::::::: End Flashback ::::::::::

Zuko brought up the painful memory to the top of his head but wished he hadn't. He would never forget that day. Never before had he been so hurt. And thinking about this brought into memory the one man he had truly ever seen as a father, the only person besides his mother that he had truly ever loved: Uncle Iroh. The self hate he felt at the moment was beyond describable. Only one person _truly _accepted him and Zuko turned him away. He brought his hand to his sternum, desperate to comfort and make pain-free his aching heart. He scowled and let Ty Lee go.

"ZuZu…are you okay? What's wrong" Ty Lee asked, worried about her friend. When she got no response besides his grunting she put her hand over the hand he brought to his heart. She gave it a reassuring squeeze and put her free hand on his shoulder. He took the gesture nicely and snapped out of his self-inflicted pain.

"…I'm fine…"

"You can tell me, Zuko. I just want to help you" she offered.

"I don't want to talk about it"

"Why not?"

"Because...it hurts" he revealed finally, through a whisper. He didn't want to but he did.

"Oh, okay. I'm sorry" she replied, deciding to change the subject off of his pain. "Can we go to the circus now?" she asked, her mood becoming one of happiness again.

"I said I didn't wanna go" he reminded her, seriousness in his voice. However, he mentally slapped himself after remembering that the circus was a very important place to his acrobatic friend. "Fine, I'll go…"

"Great!" Ty Lee cheered. She jumped up and grabbed Zuko's wrist to help him up. Ty Lee skipped her way over to the entrance of the giant red and white tent with Zuko following not too far behind. A man permitted the two of them to go in and the two friends found a spot close to the show. Zuko sat down grumpily with much force and crossed his arms across his chest. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes. He wasn't here to see the show but rather to help Ty Lee not feel too depressed about her hurtful past. Ty Lee giggled at his funny performance and took a seat next to him. "It'll be fun ZuZu. Promise!"

"I'm sure" he replied sarcastically, not very interested.

"You see, that pole right there was kind of like the one I used to balance on and incase I fell that net would catch me. Of course, I never fell, but you never know. And that rope up there was…" she blabbered on. Zuko dismissed himself from listening to her senseless rambles. His mind would not take it self off of his uncle. The man he owed his life to was locked under his own home. He would help him, he promised himself. His thoughts were interrupted by pokes on his cheek. "Are you listening to what I'm saying?" Ty Lee asked.

"Y-Yeah…I heard everything" he lied.

"Really? Then what does a ring master do when an animal gets angry and starts breaking stuff?" Ty Lee questioned demandingly.

"He whips it…with that rubber thing" Zuko guessed, not sure if "rubber things" existed.

"Yeah! You were listening!" she cheered, much to Zuko's surprise.

"Well, I'm right next to you" Zuko replied. He smiled at his luck. _Score!_

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I welcome you to the greatest circus in the entire Fire Nation! Sit back and enjoy the show!" the ring master called. The show was about to start.

For the next couple hours, Zuko and Ty Lee were entertained by various animals performing ridiculous tricks that really surprised Zuko, but not Ty Lee because she'd seen before how amazing animals were. They saw acrobats jumping from rope to rope while flipping many times into the air, not surprisingly Ty Lee's favorite part. Zuko was especially respectful of the talent the acrobats needed and he was glad his friend next to himself was one of them, not aware that she was _that_ good. The jugglers as always were amazing as they juggled a plethora of objects into the air. It seemed that the more objects they had up there, the easier it was for them. All in all, Zuko was glad Ty Lee had dragged him here because he really did have a good time.

Ty Lee and Zuko were now walking out of the massive tent and headed to nowhere in particular.

"Wasn't that great?" Ty Lee asked with her usual smile covering her face.

"It was okay" Zuko replied. "Are you as good as the other acrobats?"

"I think I am" she spoke truthfully. "The circus I worked at kept calling me the best acrobat in the Fire Nation when they introduced me. Not that I'm too cocky or anything"

"That's great" he said, keeping his gaze ahead of him. The two friends made small talk here and there about various topics for an hour or so and hadn't realized that they left the outskirts of the great city. They walked straight ahead as they spoke, enjoying the other's company. Zuko had never been much good at talking with others but Ty Lee made it very easy for him. She was so open about everything and listened to everything Zuko said to her. These were two things Zuko liked about her.

As they continued to walk they had eventually reached a forest. They carefully walked up and down various roots stemming out of the rough and heavily plant-infested ground. They reached a clearing eventually and saw a river. Ty Lee looked beyond it to her left and saw the most beautiful scene she's ever seen before: a massive waterfall made of crystal clear water.

"Omigosh! Isn't that beautiful?" Ty Lee asked, awed for the second time that day, but the first by nature.

"Yeah, it is" he said appreciatively. He would have liked to jump into the cool, calling water but the sun was cooler now and the heat was no longer there. Ty Lee ran to the bank of the river and lay on her back, taking in every sight of the beauty of nature. Zuko stood where he was but eventually followed Ty Lee and took a seat a few feet from her. There was an awkward silence for a few minutes, until Ty Lee spoke.

"So, ZuZu…"

"So…"

"Nice clouds, huh?"

"Yeah"

"Fluffy and poofy. That one looks like a turtle-duck. Don't you just want to lay on one?"

"You're weird"

"Am not"

"Lier"

"Whatever" Ty Lee said. There was another silence as the two friends looked at nothing in particular. "What's on your mind, Zuko?"

"Nothing"

"Why do you keep everything to yourself? You have to open up to someone eventually. I'm willing to be that person for you" Ty Lee assured the boy. He wanted to smile at her support but what was on his mind didn't let him.

"I'm just getting used to life now. Before…I was chasing the Avatar and trying to capture him by running around like an idiot. But now I'm here and everything should be fine, but it isn't…" he paused. "There are some decisions I can't let go of. Some things I really screwed up"

"Anything else?" Ty Lee wondered. "What's bothering you?"

"It's…just that…when I was banished…nobody accepted me. They saw me as a villain to their nation" he paused. "I was only accepted by one person" he paused.

"Go on" Ty Lee insisted, interested in what the boy had to say. But it hurt him too much and he no longer wanted to talk about it. But he wanted to tell someone else. He didn't want to bottle up everything inside. He wanted to share part of his life with someone.

"And I let him down…" Zuko choked out, trying to prevent tears from falling from his eyes. Ty Lee could see the pain in his face and wanted to just hold him close. She wanted to let him know that she would always be there when a friend needed her. "I messed up…" he finally whispered.

Ty Lee couldn't help herself now. She ran to up to Zuko, who was sitting down while leaning forward, and wrapped her arms around his chest. Her chest rested lightly on his back and Zuko could feel the acrobat's soft breathing on the back of his neck. "I'm so sorry Zuko…that must have been so rough…I couldn't imagine being in that position…"

"I don't know what to do…help me" he pleaded, the last part a whisper.

"I _want_ to Zuko, but what can I do?" Ty Lee said, feeling terrible knowing she was useless in this situation.

"I want to set him free…but father would kill me. Uncle is considered a traitor now" he coughed out even more. He'd dug himself into a hole since his banishment and that hole kept others from getting to him. It was the way he isolated himself from everybody. He couldn't trust anyone. But this girl, a cheery and fun-loving acrobat who was obsessed with showing affection, was watching him come up from that hole. She had gotten into his heart and was listening to him pour his hidden and hated memories as well as his darkest secrets and regrets. Zuko now trusted two people, his uncle and Ty Lee.

"Zuko…I just want you to know that no matter what, I'll always help you. If you ever need me, I'll be there for you. Just ask" she informed him. She brought her face close to his so that she could see his eyes. She didn't need to see him smiling to know that he was, she could tell by looking into his eyes. Hard golden amber met soft cool gray and it stayed that way for a few minutes. It was then that Zuko realized for the first time just how beautiful Ty Lee's eyes were.

"Thank you…Ty Lee" he said as turned around and returned her embrace.

"Always" she smiled.

XXXXXXXXXX

Mai had left her bedroom after finding nothing to occupy her time. She walked the halls, aimlessly entering and exiting several rooms. All she wanted was something to do to make her escape her friend she called boredom. She had turned a corner of the halls and felt herself crash into another person. They two of them fell.

"How dare you!? You unloyal, filthy---Oh, it's you" Azula spat before changing her tone to a more relaxed, but still infuriated, voice. She stood up quickly and helped Mai up as well.

"Azula…" Mai greeted.

"My dear Mai, what are you up to?" Azula said in fake sweetness. "I suppose you're looking for ZuZu and Ty Lee. Am I right?" Mai didn't respond and Azula smirked. This would be a great chance for her to destroy Mai's sanity.

"Do you know where they are?" Mai's eyes tightened.

"Oh, they didn't tell you? My dear brother took our funny little friend on a date" she spoke casually, but with much more significance behind her tone and choice of words. She observed her nails, putting the matter aside as if it meant nothing, just to infuriate Mai.

"A _date_?" Mai couldn't believe what she heard. She wasn't sure if Zuko knew that she still had some feelings for him, but it was true. The feelings weren't strong but they still existed.

"Yes" Azula cleared the question. "They seemed pretty excited about it" she lied on Zuko's part.

"That's…great" Mai lied to herself. She felt jealous of her childhood friend, Ty Lee. Mai wanted to spend time with Zuko. She had always wanted to. It hurt her to know that her best friend was being more than friends with the young man she had come to admire.

"Very well. I'll take your word for it" Azula replied. "Now, if you'll leave my company empty, I have to see father about something urgent" she walked right past a frozen Mai.

The assassin had returned to her quarters and lay on her bed, chest on the bed, back facing up. She looked at a small painting where she and Ty Lee were just ten years of age, holding hands and smiling brightly. They had been the best of friends for years and she couldn't accept her taking Zuko away from her. Part of her wanted to rip Ty Lee out of the picture and burn the piece. But she couldn't let a boy come between her and her best friend, it wasn't worth it. She tried to drop the matter but she couldn't stop the small painful longing in her heart.

And it didn't stop for the rest of the night.

**End Chapter Four**

**Oh...my…gosh!**

**I am so sorry it took so long to update. My excuse is that I have a bunch of school work and couldn't find time to continue writing. Two things determine how fast I'll update: first of course is school work. The second is my motivation. The more readers I have the faster I'll write because if you guys wanna read my story, I'll be more than happy to write it for you. However, as has been the case, I don't have many readers but hopefully that'll change. No matter what though, I AM going to continue writing, just at different paces.**

_**Jealous Mai???**_** *Gasp***

**Anyways, please let me know how you think this turned out. Reviews are welcome but not necessary. (At least not for my survival!) =) **

**Chapter 5 is going to finish up their date day and if you like Ty Luko, you'll love it. Can't wait to write that one!**

**Later!**


	5. A Special Day 2 of 2

**Writing fluff is so much fun, seriously. And here's even more of it! Thanks to the few of you who reviewed. As always, it's greatly appreciated. Putting that aside, here is chapter five.**

**Chapter Five: A Special Day (2 of 2)**

The broken Iroh, Dragon of the West, lay in his cell. He crawled to the cage and looked into the narrow hallways to find that nobody was in the basement of the palace, his current residence. He removed his shirt in a quick motion and dropped to the floor. He began to push himself up with his arms, an exercise known as push ups. He had been at about one hundred when he heard the door to the basement creep open.

Iroh immediately sat down and looked away from the steel wall which restricted him from the outside world. He had placed his shirt back on and wiped the sweat off of his face. The exercise he performed had become a routine for the last few days and his determination to become a better man was his motivation. He heard heavy footsteps behind him and did not stir when they had stopped.

"Well, fat man, I assume you're hungry" the warden joked. He held a bowl of porridge in his hand, but Iroh still looked away. "You'd better eat or you'll end up dead"

Iroh turned around and gave the warden a vicious glare. The guard had simply dropped the bowl into the cell and the porridge poured over the floor. The former general jumped and went to the fallen food, scooping it up with his hands and bringing it to his mouth. It was terrible, but Iroh had nothing else and was desperate. The guard just laughed and left the prison room, leaving the once ferocious dragon no company.

XXXXXXXXXX

Zuko and Ty Lee had gotten up and left the scene at the waterfall. The moment they shared was still fresh in their heads, but they didn't talk about it at all. They didn't need to.

"We should get back to the city. I think the festival should start soon" Ty Lee suggested to the boy. She looked at him and saw that the pain which covered his face all day had mostly washed away. She was glad it had and smiled as well.

"Okay" Zuko replied in a whisper. He looked down at the ground, not so much though, that he couldn't see ahead of himself. He walked in a slow pace, Ty Lee quickly getting ahead of him.

"Well then, come on!" she said, running back to Zuko and locking her right arm with his left arm. She looked up to Zuko and saw an uncomfortable face, which did nothing but make her smile all the more.

"What are you doing?" he asked shyly, nervous of the excessive body contact.

"You're too slow, so I need to help you!" she answered happily.

The two had gotten back to the city within less than thirty minutes, enjoying the peaceful silence all the way, while Ty Lee still held Zuko's arm. He didn't bother to brush it off, it didn't annoy him. The sun was still visible over the tops of many homes, making the sky a beautiful smear of orange, purple, and reddish-yellow. The atmosphere was darker now, a perfect time for the Fire Nation citizens to enjoy themselves.

They had arrived back at the center square of the city and saw that the festival had just started. Small tents were set up all over the place, a way for merchants to sell their goods to a massive group of people. Tables holding food and drink covered the area as well. Many people attempted to make music through the use of many different instruments, some of which Zuko had never seen before. For the younger children, games and activities were present as well. The most popular of them a game in which a child had to shoot fire at a target from a distance away.

"Wow! This is gonna be so much fun!" Ty Lee chirped. Zuko didn't respond but he certainly didn't disagree with his friend. He instead looked up to the leader of the city who stood at the brim of the humongous fountain.

"I welcome you all to this celebration today in honor of our beloved prince, Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation! He has given the Fire Nation near victory in this war by slaying the Avatar!" he stopped and the citizens went crazy in cheers. "Enjoy yourselves on this blessed night and make it one to remember!" he finished and made his way down. The people of the city made it near impossible to hear anything now. They were louder than anything Zuko or Ty Lee had ever heard before.

"This is great, ZuZu. What should we do first?" Ty Lee asked excitedly.

"You choose. But like I said before, nothing stupid" he clarified.

"Okay. How about we play some games?" Ty Lee responded. She didn't need Zuko to answer because she grabbed his arm and led him to the area despite the boy's small protests.

The first one they went to was one in which the purpose was to pin a tail on the dragon while being blindfolded. Zuko had come close but couldn't win while Ty Lee placed the tail in the dragon's mouth. Afterwards, Ty Lee watched Zuko compete with other firebenders in a skills competition. Zuko had to shoot fire at a target, however, in every advancement of the game, someone was eliminated and the target moved farther back. Zuko, being a master firebender, easily made it to the final round. The target was about fifty yards away at this point and the other competitor did not have the strength to bend fire that far. Zuko shot one fireball and hit the target exactly, a smirk now on his face. He had won.

"…Amazing…" was all the awed competitor could say. He was shocked at Zuko's mastery of firebending, unaware of who exactly this boy was. Ty Lee cheered excitedly. Zuko was given a stuffed turtle-duck as a reward. It was green and about twice the size of his head.

"Aww….it's so cute" Ty Lee giggled as she poked the face of the fake animal.

"You can have it" he said, giving the prize to his friend, who gladly accepted it. "I don't play with toys"

"Really? Thanks Zuko!" she chirped. "I'll put it in my room!"

"Glad you like it…" he whispered and looked away.

"Smile a little Zuko! You just won!" the girl said to her friend, wanting him to enjoy himself.

Zuko did nothing but groan and walk around, looking at the area, Ty Lee following him close behind. They had played a few more games and didn't fare very well in them, so they decided to do something else.

"Why don't we look at some of the shops?" Ty Lee suggested.

"Whatever"

The two friends left the scene where the noise and excitement was loudest and went to the line of shops. They saw a tent with the flap open and saw a man of about seventy years of age resting on a chair inside. He was a painter and seemed to be free of services at the moment. Of course, since painting a picture would be a long while, it must have cost money.

"We should totally get a painting of us!" Ty Lee suggested. She seemed excited at the idea of having herself with Zuko in a portrait forever.

"Do you know how long you have to stay in the same position?" Zuko pointed out. "It's annoying"

"Excuse me, sir!" Ty Lee yelled to the man anyway. "We want a painting of us together!"

"What!? Ty Lee- What the heck?" Zuko yelled in return.

"Come on in, young fellows" the old man greeted kindly. He sat in front of his board and got his painting utensils ready to use. Ty Lee entered the tent happily and Zuko entered with a frown on his face.

"Take a seat" the old man guided. Ty Lee and Zuko sat down and waited. Zuko wasn't happy but Ty Lee was all smiles.

An hour had passed since the friends sat down. Zuko had paid the man a great sum but wasn't bothered. He was royalty and thus had money come to him like leaves come to a tree. And as a result of that, he always carried a heavy amount on him. The two were walking out of the tent at this time.

"Don't we look so good in this?" Ty Lee asked her companion with a smile on her face.

"If you say so…" he replied, taking a short look at the picture. It was very well painted and look very much like them. "You can have that too"

The painting showed Zuko sitting down on a chair. His usual frown was replaced by something in the middle of a frown and smile. A relaxed look, one might say. Hovering over him was Ty Lee, whose arms were wrapped around Zuko's neck in a friendly manner. On her face, which was contacting Zuko's so that their cheeks rubbed against each other's, was an ear to ear grin. Just for added affect, the painter drew a blush on Zuko's face, although he wasn't blushing. That part made Ty Lee giggle quietly to herself but when Zuko got curious and asked about it, she stopped, only to start giggling again when he turned around.

What was next for Zuko was Ty Lee annoying him to enter a jewelry merchant's shop, which he eventually gave in to. Zuko looked around briefly but Ty Lee _had_ to try on just about everything. All Zuko heard from her were various remarks such as "This is so pretty!" and "Omigosh! I have to have this". They made him chuckle. Ty Lee was a fun one.

Zuko was now standing behind Ty Lee, looking over her head. He assumed she was looking at a very beautifully made bracelet. It was made of very thick gold and had a humongous red gem in the middle. Surrounding that stone were various smaller ones in different shades of red, white, and pink. They seemed to make the shape of a flower with a big red gem in the middle. Zuko thought it was as fine a piece of jewelry as he'd ever seen and only fit for the wealthiest of Fire Nation citizens to wear.

Ty Lee badly wanted the craft but knew it was obnoxiously pricey and didn't want to ask Zuko for too much. She had decided that she would forget about it for the moment being.

"Well…is there anything you want?" Zuko asked casually.

"Umm…no. We can go" Ty Lee replied. Zuko followed her out of the shop and into the crowd. "Well…what do you wanna do now?"

"Actually, Ty Lee…I kind of saw something that caught my eye. Wait here, I'll be right back" Zuko informed the girl before walking back into the tent. She simply nodding and started humming to occupy her time. Zuko quickly went up to the shopkeeper and pointed at an object.

"How much?" he demanded.

The man looked surprised and somewhat interested. "A mask of the Blue Spirit, eh?...Fine choice" He paused. Zuko listened intently. "Let's start at fifty gold pieces"

"Deal" Zuko said and smirked. He left the shop a few minutes after the initial purchase and met Ty Lee outside.

"So…did you buy something?" Ty Lee asked curiously, more or less interested.

"It's nothing" Zuko said. The mask was hidden within his bag of money, which hung loosely at his side.

The sun was now out of sight and the sky was a dark purple in shade. The day had nearly passed as the friends once again found themselves in the center square. Many, many people were dancing to slow relaxing music and the shows of firebending mastery were also in progress.

"Before you say anything else, I am not dancing" Zuko stated bluntly. This time he was serious.

"I wasn't going to ask" Ty Lee lied. "Let's go watch the firebenders"

"Boring…I could firebend" Zuko replied in a bored tone.

"Let's go anyway" Ty Lee suggested. As they went and sat down about twenty yards from the performers, Ty Lee was amazed at how well these men manipulated fire. They made dragons of great sizes and twisted them through each other. One of the performers eventually decided to tease Ty Lee and sent a massive dragon headed straight at her. When it had gotten close enough, the girl sent out a shriek of terror, and the dragon turned up towards the sky. The crowd, along with Zuko, laughed and Ty Lee's face turned pink. "That was mean…" she whined to the performer who just chuckled.

"You're such a girly girl" Zuko teased, smirking while he looked sideways at her.

"Well, duh! I am a girl" she retorted, not very offended by his comment.

"Whatever" he said and went back to watching the rest of the display. The show had ended when two dragons went up into the air and exploded, sending small sparks in every direction, lighting the night sky. The light reflected off of Ty Lee's eyes and caught Zuko's sight. He looked to his friend and couldn't help but think that she was really pretty, not that he'd say anything anytime soon about the subject. _I shouldn't be thinking like this_ he thought.

"Hey there, sexy" a young woman a few years older than Ty Lee said to Zuko in a clearly seductive voice. "How about you and I…hit the dance floor?" The girl looked at Ty Lee with challenging eyes and wore very little to cover herself up. She was very attractive, in a man's general opinion. Zuko, figuring he was being the one spoken to, blushed and turned his face just enough to catch sight of the girl.

"I-umm…you…I-" Zuko stuttered, his eyes on the girl's bare midriff. Ty Lee just stood where she stood. She was shocked and at a loss of words.

"Truly…a big, strong man like you…" the woman started, snaking her arm around Zuko's neck. "Shouldn't have a problem with words" she finished. She caressed Zuko's pectoral muscles through his shirt with her finger and giggled.

"Actually, he's with me" Ty Lee blurted out, not being able to stand the woman's slutty attitude.

"Oh yeah?" Well, who the hell are you?" the woman demanded. She still had her arm around Zuko's neck. The boy was stuck once again and didn't utter a word. He knew never to get involved within two women's conflicts.

"I don't need to answer that" Ty Lee pointed out, her eyes narrowing in seriousness. She wasn't _exactly_ on a date with Zuko but she would have liked it if the two of them could hang out together without anyone getting in the way. "He's with me so I would like it if you wouldn't flirt with him"

"I haven't seen the two of you so much as hold each other's hand" she made the point, smirking. "Maybe we should let him choose which one of us he likes more…my lord?" she whispered the last part to Zuko.

"…" Zuko didn't say a word. He looked from one girl to the other. The pleading look in Ty Lee's eyes begged him to call her name and he was about to, had he not taken enough time already, when he heard the older woman shriek. She fell to the ground in a motionless heap, her body momentarily paralyzed. Ty Lee's small fists were held in front of her body.

"Let's just go…" Ty Lee looked down in obvious disappointment and grabbed Zuko's arm, taking him along with her to no where in particular. Despite the woman's calls for help, neither of the two turned around to help her. Ty Lee was upset with Zuko and Zuko was well aware of it. They had walked for a silent minute, through a dark, deserted street, not so much as looking at each other.

"I'm sorry…" Zuko let out eventually, finally looking the girl in the eyes.

"Are you?" Ty Lee near screamed at him. "I've been one of your closest friends for like five years and you can't choose me over a woman you just met!?"

"I didn't mean-"

"I wish I could believe that" Ty Lee near whispered, cutting the boy off.

"Well, you could!" Zuko was on the defensive now. "Why was it so important to you anyway?" Zuko was curious now. "It's not like we're in love or something, huh?"

"I never said that…I just wanted us to spend the day together" Ty Lee was slightly calmer now.

"That's what we did…"

"You're ridiculous, ZuZu" she finished, wanting to change the topic. "I'm hungry. Let's go get something to eat"

"Yeah, I'm hungry too. I haven't eaten since breakfast" he replied and the two of them headed back to the festival sight. The slow, relaxing music still played over the atmosphere and many people were still enjoying themselves. Cheers and the joy of the moment hung above the atmosphere as well. This festival made Zuko feel loved, but he shouldn't be, Azula should.

"So…are you having any fun, ZuZu?" Ty Lee asked quietly, playing with the food on her plate with her chop sticks. She didn't look up to see Zuko's gaze upon her until well after she asked.

"Yeah…it's much better than spending everyday in some palace where you sit around and do nothing all day" he replied matter-of-factly. As much as Ty Lee had wished it, the boy didn't smile. But it was okay because she did.

"So…I'm not that bad, right?" she asked hopefully, putting more bits of food into her mouth. "Azula and Mai say I annoy them" she finished sadly.

"You're too…perky…but it doesn't bother me much" he replied back, hoping he hadn't offended her. For some extra effect, he forced a smile.

"Well, you're too serious" she countered him playfully. "Sometimes it feels really great to enjoy yourself, but you really don't do that"

"I do when it's necessary" he said, taking food from his plate while tossing and turning it.

"You really need to smile too. With that frown on your face all the time your face will freeze and you'll totally look depressed all the time"

"I don't like to smile" he replied.

"You should when you're happy"

"I'm never happy" he informed her, his gaze meeting that of the younger girl's.

"You are now" she said.

"What makes you say that?" he wondered, taking a sip of his fruit drink.

"Because you like me" she joked. Upon hearing her remark, Zuko gagged on the beverage in his mouth and spat it out, the liquid nearly reaching Ty Lee who covered her body with her arms.

"What are you talking about!?" he questioned curiously.

"Relax, ZuZu…you get upset over nothing. I was just kidding" she giggled.

"Well don't joke with me then…and stop calling me ZuZu…it's annoying" the boy replied, continuing to consume the rice and bread on his plate. He didn't bother to wipe the juice he'd gagged off of the table. The small puddles sparkled as the stars, which had just barely arrived, shined over them.

"Why should I? It sounds cute" she said teasingly, a smile on her face.

"I don't care" he replied bluntly.

"You need a cute name to go with your cute face" she teased even more. Zuko stopped eating and looked up at Ty Lee, feeling a blush beginning to arrive under his eyes. After she'd realized the reality of what she just said, she nearly started to blush too. _Oops!_

W-What…did you say?" he asked to be sure that he'd heard right.

"Nothing…don't mind it" she replied nervously, attempting to dismiss the matter.

"Tell me"

"…" Ty Lee said nothing, but looked down at the food on her plate.

"You said I was cute" he recalled.

"So? Is something wrong with that?" she asked, her smile no longer there.

"No. I don't think so…" he paused and met her eyes again. "Do you really think so?"

"Yeah, I do" she answered, being honest with the boy. He couldn't help to hold back a smile. "And you look even cuter when you smile!"

"Whatever" he said shortly. The food on his plate was just about gone now and the same held for Ty Lee.

"What about me?" the girl asked.

"What of you?" Zuko asked in return.

"Do you think I'm pretty?" she blushed, wanting to hear his answer but also not wanting to hear it.

"…I don't know. Maybe" he stuttered. He felt his own face turn pink as well. He wasn't used to complementing girls in this way.

"Well?" she persisted.

"…Want to…dance…?" Zuko said out of panic. He didn't mean to ask that but his mind accepted anything to get off of the topic. _Uh-oh…_

"Sure!" Ty Lee cheered, putting Zuko out of his small misery. She downed the rest of her drink and jumped up, quickly walking over to Zuko. "Let's go!"

"Wait…I was kidding-" Zuko stopped as Ty Lee pulled him into a standing position. He said nothing more as Ty Lee dragged him to the center of the town.

"Okay, I don't know how to dance. Azula said you did, so you have to teach me" she informed.

He accepted what he had to do instead of trying to fight it off. He took in a deep breath and sighed. "Okay, take my hand" he instructed, holding his right hand up in front of his body, which Ty Lee softly grasped with her own. "Then next part…requires…that-" he was cut off.

"You put your hand around my waist and I put mine on your shoulder" she finished for him, smiling at the little knowledge of dancing she had.

"Yeah" he replied in a low voice.

"Don't be nervous about that Zuko. Like you said, we're not in love. It won't hurt anyone" she said to him calmly. As a sign of commitment, Ty Lee put her free hand on Zuko first. He followed suit by bringing her smaller figure close to his body and circling her midriff with his arm, causing Zuko's chest to meet with Ty Lee's. Ty Lee entwined her fingers with Zuko's like a dancer should. They looked at each other to see that their faces were just a few inches apart. Neither of them could stop a blush from creeping onto them. In response to that, they backed away a little.

"Ummm…now we just move back and forth basically" he told her. When he didn't get a reply, he started moving his body forward and the girl responded by taking small step backwards. Since his steps were larger and covered more distance, it was only a matter of time until he stepped on her, which is exactly what he did. She gave a small gasp and gripped her hand on Zuko's shoulder tighter. "You're steps are too small"

"No! Yours are too big"

"Excuse me, who's the one that asked the other to teach them how to dance?" he said confidently. She didn't respond but went back to the routine the two had formed. They had been at it for a few minutes, the dancing being simple and easy to the slow paced music. Eventually, Zuko let Ty Lee's waist go and spun her around slowly while tightening his grip on her hand.

"Ooh! You're good at this" she complimented.

"Being the Fire Lord's son, I had to learn how to dance, properly" he replied. Zuko went through several more moves with his friend before the two had decided to stop. One thing Ty Lee noticed was that Zuko's eyes never left her own, and Zuko noticed that her eyes also never left his.

"Could we go back home now?" Zuko asked. It was becoming extremely hard to see without the guidance of the stars and firebending.

"Yeah, let's go!" Ty Lee responded, feeling a little tired.

The stars shone brighter than they had previously, lighting the path for the two friends to return to their home, the Royal Palace of the Fire Nation. Small talk was made between the two during the hour it took to get back home, but nothing of importance was brought up. Eventually, they found themselves back at the entrance of where their day had begun. They walked in quietly, only a few guards noticing but allowing them to pass upon recognizing them. Ty Lee went straight to her room, hoping she'd see Mai or even Azula along the way to tell them about her day. Passing Mai's room, she noticed the lights were on and decided to step in.

Mai quickly turned her head as she sensed someone walking in. Ty Lee saw Mai lying on her bed and decided to sit down on one corner of it. Mai noticed that there was a big stuffed turtle-duck in her arms along with a rolled up sheet of paper which was of a good enough size to be assumed a poster, or even a painting.

"Hey!" Ty Lee greeted, a ridiculously large smile on face. Ty Lee wasn't usually this happy so Mai figured she must have had a really swell time, much to her displeasure.

"So…how was your day?" Mai asked, a frown on her face. Ty Lee told Mai every little detail about the day she spent with Zuko over the course of a half hour. She even explained her new toy and the portrait of herself with Zuko. She didn't realize that every bit hurt Mai more and more, but Mai did a really good job of covering it up. After hearing her story, Mai had asked Ty Lee to let her alone nicely. Ty Lee left without question but wondered if something was wrong with Mai. She was well aware that Mai crushed on Zuko as children but figured that Mai had not a thing for him anymore because she never said anything about it. She hoped that was the case.

Ty Lee walked into her room and set the turtle-duck down on her bed. She put it in a special place where it wouldn't fall off and get dirty. She unrolled the painting next and found a spot for it on the wall. She had nothing to hang it up so she rolled it back up and placed it on a stand next to her bed. She would take care of it tomorrow.

She next went to the restroom just outside of her room to wash off, her sleeping clothes in her hands. She left the bathroom wearing a soft, rich silk made robe with slippers on her feet. Her hair was out of her braid and ruffled around her head. She looked much prettier that way. Ty Lee entered her room once again and placed the clothes she used in a pile next to her closet. Her next destination was the balcony on one side of her room. She figured that she'd get some fresh air before she went to sleep. She was nearly dozing off at this time. It had been a long day.

What she saw below her as she stood above the raised platform surprised her. Zuko was firebending alone in the darkness of the night. Listening closely, she could hear him grunting. Obviously, he was really trying. Beautiful orange flames emerged from his body and made a beautiful sight. Ty Lee thought that the orange flames along with Zuko's golden aura, which symbolized great strength, leadership, and courage, made a very pretty color. She couldn't help herself but to watch her friend for about ten minutes or so until he stopped.

Eventually, she had slipped down from her balcony, flipping flawlessly, and landed on the ground. Zuko now sat on the floor, breathing heavily, but had not noticed the girl.

"You're pretty good" she whispered, softly enough not to alarm the boy. He turned around to face her and closed his eyes, surprised he had a visitor this late in the night.

"Were you watching?"

"Long enough to see that you know what you're doing"

"Thanks…you're good at…acrobatics and…stuff like that" he tried to compliment her. He lay down and closed his eyes.

"Aren't the stars so pretty?" Ty Lee asked sweetly.

"Yeah…"

"So, today was pretty fun, right? I put the turtle-duck in my bed and I'm gonna hang the painting tomorrow"

"That's great. I did have a good time today" he smiled. He hadn't relaxed like this for more than three years now and was glad he'd done so. He needed a break. It was slightly past midnight at this hour and the two felt very tired as they sat around. Zuko rolled over and felt a pressure on his leg and remembered what he'd bought earlier from the jewelry merchant.

"Here…this is for you" Zuko said, holding in his hand the thick golden bracelet he figured Ty Lee had wanted. He lit the night with a small fire from his free hand so she could see it.

"Zuko!" she gasped. This day for her just got better and better. "How did you know I wanted this?" Her smile was bigger that it was that entire day.

"I know things" he replied in a cool manner. He felt really good inside. She grabbed the craft from his hand and hastily put it on. It fit her small wrist perfectly. She instantly loved it.

"Thanks so, so, so much. I love it!" she cheered, hugging Zuko yet again that day. He didn't move but smiled to himself in the dark. "I'll keep it forever!"

"That makes me feel better" he replied, lying down again on the clean grass. He closed his eyes. Ty Lee lay down as well, resting her head on Zuko's hard, well-built chest. Within a minute, both of them were asleep, subconsciously enjoying the warmth of the other in the cold night.

It was a special day for the both of them, indeed.

**End Chapter Five**

**Isn't Zuko so sweet? That's why we love him. =) They're so cute together!**

**Ty Lee has Zuko whipped, doesn't she? =)**

**I love how this came out, it was really fun. Every chapter I have written has been longer than the last. This one was over 5,100 words! I like that.**

**Read & Review please! You don't have to be logged in! I'm really eager to know what you think of this so far. I would definitely appreciate more feedback.**

**--**

**On another note: Updating again will take longer than it has been lately. The reason is that I am hosting a Ty Luko Week on deviantart. If you are interested in joining or participating, there is a link on my profile page for it. Check it out!**

**I will be writing other, smaller fics for the week as well as some one-shots in general, so I'll be really busy.**

**  
Later!**


	6. Preparations

**Well, thanks to those who took the time to leave comments, I appreciate it. I totally wasn't expecting to update until the middle of November, after Ty Luko Week finished up, but I decided to anyway. I'm having a lot of fun writing this and didn't want to stay away from it for too long. **

**For those who have been reading this story, I will start to develop the plot soon, and make the romance secondary, just because that's how it should be, and because this isn't a fluff story. However, there will be a lot of chapters for fluff. =) Anyways…here's chapter six.**

**Chapter Six: Preparations**

Zuko awoke when the sun let off powerful rays which burned his eyes as he opened them. He looked around and was confused for a moment as to why he was sleeping on the ground. That was something royalty shouldn't do or resort themselves to. As he tried to get into a sitting position, he struggled from his early morning brittleness and the light weight of something lying upon his chest.

He looked down to see the sleeping face of Ty Lee, who remained resting. She let out small, relaxed breaths and her hair scattered over the bare chest of the shirtless prince. Primarily he was confused as to why she of all people was sleeping on him but reminded himself of the events of the passed day.

He gently tried to remove himself from beneath her so he wouldn't wake her, but that wasn't an easy task either, because one of the girl's arms was wrapped around his body and held him tight, making him extremely uncomfortable. It must have been a cold night, or else she would not have done so. Zuko sighed slowly and looked up into the sky. It was very early but Zuko was an early riser. He rose with the sun.

"Ty Lee" he whispered in a hushed tone, weakly nudging her shoulder. It was a few seconds of this repeated process until she had waken, looking flustered. Noticing her arm was around Zuko's body, she quickly removed it, a nervous blush creeping on her face.

"Sorry, sorry!" she squeaked out, starting to get up herself. She still wore her pink robe and saw Zuko's shirt he wore on the previous night on the floor beside her. As hard as she tried to resist, she couldn't resist sneaking a quick glance at his well built core. She was fond of stronger boys. However, it wasn't a _quick_ glance, because it lasted a while.

"What are you looking at?" he questioned nervously.

"Oops! Uh…why aren't you wearing a shirt? Just because it's the Fire Nation doesn't mean it's _always_ hot" she stared at him curiously through half-closed eyelids.

"Firebenders don't feel cold. You should know, they're you're people" he responded.

"Oh yeah…" she responded dumbfounded, something not very rare.

"I'm heading inside," Zuko said as he rose to leave. "Did you hear anything of when the ceremony is?"

"Azula said it was going to start at noon," Ty Lee responded, looking up into the sun, shielding her eyes from being exposed to too much. "I think you should have about five or so hours to get ready"

"Whatever," he sighed. "This is just a drag"

"Oh? But everyone's gonna cheer for you! They love you now!" the girl exclaimed, beaming a smile and raising her arms as to emphasize her point.

"They shouldn't though…I didn't kill him," he said weakly. "Azula did"

"It's okay Zuko…I'm sure it wouldn't matter anyway because they probably _do_ love you" she tried to cheer him up, but to no success. She gave him a small, reassuring pat on the back.

"I'm going. See ya around" he said as he left. Ty Lee did nothing but watch him go, saying nothing either. She felt bad for the poor boy, he always seemed so troubled.

Zuko had entered the palace and made his way to his hallway, placing a hand along the wall to support his currently weak and tired legs. He passed by Mai's room, she was still asleep, and then passed by Azula's room.

"I didn't know you liked her this much" he heard his sister snicker from her door in a teasing tone. She stood within the doorway, dressed and ready to go for the day. He had no idea why but she must have been pretty excited for the ceremony although it would only last a small while.

"I don't know what you're talking about" he looked away from her, scowling, continuing his walking.

"I'm sure you're perfectly aware of what I'm talking about" she smirked. "You like her, don't you?"

"I don't like her!" he defended. Luckily for him, Ty Lee chose not to follow him into the palace, but instead, went to the turtle-ducks. If she heard him say what he just did, she would undoubtedly be hurt.

"Hmm….so you take her on a date, get her excited, sleep with her, and tell me you don't give a care for her?" she continued. "I must be missing something here"

Zuko couldn't do a thing but have his blood boil for her. She certainly was right, but she was completely wrong. "You don't know anything, Azula! Just shut up!" he hissed as he stormed off. She didn't push the matter further. She was amused.

The prince made his way to his room, but not in a good mood. "Stupid Azula. Always thinks she's so smart and knows everything. I hate her"

He'd left his room and made his way to the shower, for he was sweaty from his firebending session the night before. He put the water to the hottest it could go and sat in the tub. He let the warm water wash away all of his troubles. One by one, they were all soaked away. Bad father, gone. Wrong ceremony, gone. Evil, hated sister, also gone. His tensions…gone.

Ty Lee hummed as she skipped across the halls of the palace, still wearing her robe and slippers, heading for her room. She remembered to grab a small nail to push her painting into the wall when she got there. Holding the work of art in one hand, raised to the wall, she brought the small nail in her other hand up to where the portrait was to be hung. She tried to push the nail in but couldn't. She wasn't very strong in physical strength and the small surface of the nail hurt her thumb.

"Need help with that?" she heard a familiar voice behind her. She turned around with a smile on her face to greet her visitor.

"Hi, 'Zula!" she welcomed. "I can't push it in"

"Let me try" Azula offered, grabbing the small craft from Ty Lee's fingertips and pushing it into the wall. For her, it wasn't a difficult job. She was a cut above other women when it came to strength. "That was easy"

"Thanks a bunch!" she near gave into the temptation to hug her childhood friend, but decided against it. "So, what has you awake this early?"

"I should be asking you that same question" she smirked. She was going to have fun with her airheaded friend's mind.

"Umm…well, last night you see, I was sleeping-" she paused, feeling her face about to turn pink. Was she really about to tell Azula what happened? It would be better not to. "I just woke up early, that is all!" she forced a half smile.

"Did _you_ wake up, or did _someone_ wake you up?" Azula couldn't stop herself from holding back a suspicious looking smile. The smile of a devil.

"The first one" she replied, trying not to sound nervous.

"So…is ZuZu warm?"

"…..Um…what?" Ty Lee looked down, feeling nervous.

"I saw you two outside while I was coming back into the palace last night. I was away for a while," Azula answered. "Do you like him?"

"Well…he's really nice, but I wouldn't say I _like_ him"

"Of course," Azula looked down to her friend's wrist. "Where did this come from?"

"Oh, Zuko bought it for me! Isn't it so pretty!?" she smiled, giving Azula a better view of the craft by raising her small hand to the princess' face.

"I'm sure he did," Azula spoke. "It's a magnificent piece for sure"

"I'm glad you like it. If you want to wear it, I'll totally let you, I would just want it back"

"Very well. I'll see you tonight at ZuZu's little ceremony. You will be attending, yes?"

"Yeah" Ty Lee smiled, watching her walk out of the room when, suddenly, she stopped.

"Don't take advantage of Mai" she near laughed without turning around and resumed walking out of the door. At first, Ty Lee couldn't make sense of Azula's remark, but it eventually stuck out clear to her. Could Mai..still have feelings for Zuko? She looked down to her feet, frowning and thinking back to what had happened last night with Mai. Ty Lee finally understood why she was acting the way she was, and was disappointed with herself.

The next few hours passed by with very little excitement going on. Mai had risen and prepared herself for the day. The four friends sat down at breakfast together and ate a rather silent meal. Azula near brought Mai's childhood crush of Zuko out but decided it would be too cruel even for her, so she didn't. Mai could already be pitied enough as it was. Ty Lee was mostly the only one who spoke, rambling on about the turtle-ducks that morning.

When the kids had dismissed themselves, they returned to whatever they were doing before. Zuko was personally reminded by Fire Lord Ozai that he would need to look decent for the day's events. He was told that mostly the entire Fire Nation population within the area would be attending. He had combed his hair back and put it up into a style similar to his father's. Another hour and the ceremony would begin. Zuko lay down on his bed, ready, and stared at the ceiling. He could hear some gathered people waiting outside already.

Ty Lee had decided to go to Mai's room and talk with her for a while of several topics. The one she would wait to bring up would be Zuko. She wasn't sure how she felt about him but she wanted badly to know how Mai felt for him. The two sat and talked for at least a half hour. There was so much to talk about.

"So what should I wear today?" Ty Lee asked excitedly.

"Whatever you want. So long as it isn't orange. What an ugly color" the Goth girl responded.

"Umm…I know! I'll wear a dress!" she chirped.

"Amazing thinking…"

"We should so do each other's hair. You'll be so pretty!"

"I prefer doing my own"

"Aww, but that's no fun!" Ty Lee pouted.

"Life's not fun"

"Unless you make it fun" Ty Lee countered.

"No"

"Please!"

"No!"

"Please, please, please!" Ty Lee begged, holding her hands together and sitting on her knees. She made a cute puppy face at Mai, although it didn't make a difference.

"If you do anything ridiculous, you will find yourself hanging by your throat on your wall. Clear?" Mai gave in, sick of Ty Lee acting like a child.

"Yay!" Ty Lee hugged Mai. "This'll be so much fun!"

"Fun for you"

"C'mon! Let's get started!" Ty Lee dragged Mai into the ladies' room and sat her down. She tried various ways to do Mai's hair but found it best to let it fall freely. She felt that Mai looked a lot better with her hair down. It was longer than it looked. Above each of Mai's ears, Ty Lee tied crimson colored ribbons.

Mai looked into the mirror when Ty Lee had finished and wasn't shocked, although she expected to be. She thought she looked fairly well.

"Do you like it?" Ty Lee asked, disappointed in the style being too plain, although it suited her best.

"Ribbons?" Mai asked seriously.

"But they look really cute"

"Whatever," Mai sighed. "Your turn"

"Okay! I can't wait to see what it looks like!" Ty Lee squeaked like a child being given candy. Mai struggled to undo her friend's braid but eventually did. She let the obnoxiously long hair straighten up before playing around with it, trying to find a way to best fit her friend. She eventually went with a rather plain look also. Small clips were above each ear, separating a colony or hair from the rest. In the back, Mai used a larger, fancier clip that stuck out nicely. She also used ribbons, pink ones, to tie into the girl's brown hair.

"Done" Mai said without excitement.

"Thanks Mai! It looks really good" Ty Lee credited.

"I'm sure Zuko will love it" Mai said sourly. She didn't know why she said it but she felt she had to. Ty Lee was shocked to hear this, not necessarily because of what she said, but the way her voice sounded when she said it. It was almost as if Mai was upset with her.

"Okay…I'm sure Zuko will love yours too" Ty Lee responded, trying to make nothing of the comment. She really didn't want to be talking about this, not right now when they were boding as friends.

"Don't be naïve, Ty Lee," Mai started, glaring at the younger girl.

"What do you mean?" Ty Lee asked, although she was perfectly aware of where Mai was getting at.

"You just like to spend so much time with him don't you?" she accused.

"Mai! Stop acting like this. What's the problem?"

"As if you don't know" Mai scoffed.

"Do you mean…you still…_like_ him?" Ty Lee asked softly, in a hushed tone.

"…" Mai said nothing, letting Ty Lee know that she was correct in assuming Mai still liked him.

"I'm…sorry. I didn't know. But we just went out to talk and stuff. We're not in love or anything" Ty Lee reassured.

"How do you expect me to believe that?" Mai questioned. "A _date_ it was, and dates mean you _like_ him"

"It wasn't a date!" Ty Lee defended, knowing she was incorrect right after. The day went much differently than she expected and it really did seem as if were a date. But it wasn't meant to be.

"That's what I heard" Mai supported her claim.

"From who?"

"Azula"

Ty Lee paused and stared at her friend, puzzled. After a few seconds, she burst out laughing, much to Mai's surprise. "Mai, you can't ever believe what comes out of Azula's mouth! She's the biggest liar in the Fire Nation!"

Knowing Ty Lee was right, Mai did feel a little ridiculous. Maybe she was too quick in assuming what had gone down between her crush and her best friend. "I suppose you're right…as odd as that may sound"

"Don't be mean to me. I'm your best friend"

"Whatever"

Ty Lee hugged her friend and Mai returned her embrace lightly.

Azula looked into the mirror in her room and saw her beautiful reflection. She was ready and headed outside her room into the halls. She headed straight for her brother's room and opened the door. Zuko was lying down upon his bed, wearing fine silk robes of the best quality the Fire Nation had to offer. Gold trimming shone brightly from the edges. His hair was up like his father's.

"How are you feeling?" Azula asked.

"Like you care"

"Why can't I care for my dearest brother?" she asked.

"Because you care for nothing but yourself" Zuko pointed out.

"Be very lucky that I'm not frying you as you speak. Be happy that it's your lucky day"

"I never asked for it. You lied to father"

"To help you"

"To help yourself" Zuko corrected.

"How so?"

"I don't know. But it's not something _you_ would do. You're planning something"

"You're annoying me"

"_You're_ annoying _me_!" he shot back.

"I asked for nothing but how you felt. But you can't show enough care for your sister to answer that can you? You sicken me"

"If you care…I'm fine. I just want to get this over with"

"Very well, I'll take your word for it," Azula responded. "But just know…that as easily as I've restored the life you have left, I can take it away"

"You don't scare me"

"Convince yourself of that, it doesn't hide the truth" Azula suggested.

"Whatever. You can go now"

"And I shall. I'll see you outside soon, dear brother" she laughed.

Zuko got up not long after she left. He looked out the window and saw Mai, Ty Lee, and Azula standing where he was to be introduced. They seemed to be talking and seemed pretty excited also. The crowd had grown massively since he last noted, or rather guessed, their size. He figured it would be best for him to make his way down at about this time.

Zuko walked down the stairs and got to the main level of the palace. He arrived upon the entrance he was to come from. He could hear the crowd screaming excitedly and couldn't help to smirk. He looked past the doors and saw none other than Fire Lord Ozai turned around, looking back at him. Zuko's eyes immediately went to his face and fell upon a smile. He wasn't sure if it was a happy smile or a cruel smile, but it was a smile.

He walked forward and wore a smug smile upon his own face. This was the day he was once again a true Fire Nation Prince.

**End Chapter Six**

**I really wasn't expecting to add a new chapter for a while, so I'm glad I did. The next chapter will be Zuko's return ceremony for sure. **

**I've decided to make the catfight over Zuko a little more interesting with Mai getting more involved. =) I even added a Mai Lee bondage scene. =)**

**Anyways, I will say again, this time for sure, that I won't update until after the first week of November. **

**TY LUKO WEEK IS COMING!**

**November 1: CHILDHOOD -or- PERFORMANCE**

**November 2: UPSIDE DOWN -or- ANOTHER LIFE**

**November 3: FREEZING -or- NEGLECT**

**November 4: CIRCUS -or- SAFETY NET**

**November 5: SCARS -or- SLIPPERS**

**November 6: GLARE -or- KNOWING**

**November 7: BENDABLE -or- AURAS**

**Those are the prompts. I will most likely do all of them and maybe even add some more one-shots unrelated to these prompts. Therefore, I will be totally busy and won't update for a while. If you are interested in participating also, there is a link on my page to get all the info you need! =)**

**Read and Review Please!**

**Hitting the button below will make you WIN!**


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